Soul of a Hero
by Saint Danielle
Summary: Take one small step into the unknown. And you never go back. Desperate to be a hero, Izuku accepts an offer from the world different from everything he knew before. Just how much will it change the lives of those around him and his own?
1. Chapter 1: The Hidden World

**Disclaimer:** I own neither _Boku no Hero Academia_ nor _Bleach_.

 **Author Note:**

Generally speaking, I am really not a fan of crossovers where the main character of one manga ends up in another one. In most cases, authors tend to use another fandom to elevate their favourite character even more while damaging everything in the process. And I just really dislike when someone does it, because it shows that an author doesn't care about the fans of the fandom they ruin in their crossover.

While this fandom (Bleach) doesn't really suffer from this problem, I really hope I am not going to end up making the same mistake here, since this is my first Crossover between Mangas. So, if you see that I am on the path of turning Ichigo into one of those horrendous Gary Stus, please alarm me! Attack me with negative reviews if necessary! Just don't let me turn Ichigo into one those things!

Anyway, let's start the story and see where it goes!

* * *

 _"People are not born equal..."_

It was one absolute fact in the world full of miracles and wonders.

That was the truth Midoriya Izuku leart at the tender age of four.

It was not long before he learnt another thing about the world around himself...

.

.

.

 _Away from human's eyes._

 _The entire world concealed behind the veil._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Hidden World.**

* * *

It was another day in Orudera Junior High.

And, just like any other day, one particular student spent his lunch completely alone on the roof.

Midoriya Izuku, fifteen years old, was a boy of average height, had emerald green eyes and dark green curly hair. His pale skin had a few freckles scattered on both of his cheeks, making him look more childish. His school uniform was neat and tidy, even though it seemed somewhat oversized on his skinny body.

He sighed pleasantly as he finished his bento, silently thanking his mother. As he put the empty box back into his backpack, Izuku looked at his watch and smiled. He still had some time to go over the notes he had made before coming to school. The today's fight between heroes and that villain was already on the news and Izuku was excited to add any information or details he might have missed.

As he went through the news feed and added missing pieces to his notes, a small butterfly landed on his pen. Both its body and wings were completely black, safe for the small outline of red on its lower wings. As he examined the insect closer, Izuku couldn't help but smile in curiosity. He has seen them a lot lately but still couldn't find any information on it.

"Where do these butterflies come from?" He asked himself, as the butterfly sat on his index finger. For some reason, whenever these butterflies were around, Izuku felt himself better no matter what happened. He could feel the warmth of the sun in the rainy day and almost see the lands he has never been to before. "One thing for sure, you really can make my day better."

Suddenly, the school bell rang and Izuku watched the butterfly fly away peacefully. Turning his head away, Izuku failed to see the insect disappear into thin air. As he headed to the exit door, Izuku stopped as the familiar feeling formed in his chest. Izuku still couldn't find the reason this feeling appeared out of nowhere at random times.

But there was one thing that connected all the cases.

"Another one...?" He whispered and headed to the class.

Whenever he felt this energy, another one of the _spirits_ disappeared.

 _He was four years old when he first discovered this... **abnormality** in himself._

 _It has been barely a week since he learnt that he was Quirkless. Initially crushed and depressed, Izuku quickly pulled himself together with one goal in his mind. Done with any doubt and fear, Izuku was burning with the determination to learn everything about heroes there was. Even if he didn't have any special ability, he would make up for it with ten times the effort!_

 _He hurried to get the notebooks and pens as fast as he could to start collecting data. On his way back from the store, however, Izuku met one of them for the first time. It was an elderly man with frail body and short beard in simple blue shirt and white pants with a cane in his hand. The man would look like any other person in his age if it were not for the strange steel chain protruding from his chest._

With all these thoughts, Izuku didn't notice how automatically he entered the class and kept writing down his observations while the teacher gave the speech about them deciding their future. Takanashi-sensei was a weird man, Izuku noted to himself. He had this weird tendency to always mix both serious and light-hearted vibes into whatever he said. He would often start the speech with some thought-encouraging questions and then break into a relaxed smile while saying something simple and funny.

The class came into life, showing off their Quirks and imagining how they would use them as heroes. His class was really filled with people. whose Quirks ranged from amazing to quite weird ones. Still, all of them had Quirks and were sure that their future as heroes was guaranteed. Even deep in his own thoughts, Izuku still raised a hand when the teacher asked who here had the ambition of becoming a professional hero. As the small argument started between Kacchan and the rest of the class, Izuku took a small black notebook with a white cross on the cover.

Unlike all the other notebooks he had, this one was in no way related to the heroics. It was his own secret. Something he didn't desire to share with anyone. Under normal circumstances, Izuku wouldn't even pull the notebook out of his bag let alone write in it. But he needed to go through all he has gathered so far. Maybe then he would figure out what made the spirits disappear? What if there was something-

Why was everyone laughing?

"Aaah?!" Izuku yelped as he barely dodged the explosion Kacchan destroyed his desk with. Looking around, confused and panicking, Izuku heard the pieces of what the students around him said and put them together. He couldn't help but gulp in fear, realizing just how pissed Kacchan was right now. "You don't even have a weak Quirk, Deku! So why are you trying to enter the same arena as me, huh?!"

"W-Wait!" Izuku held out his hand, hoping to reason with his childhood friend. Even though he knew nothing would come out of it, it still was worth a try. "I... I don't intend to compete against you, Kacchan, not at all!"

Sneering, the ash blond guy looked at the black notebook Izuku dropped while falling back. Izuku's eyes widened in fear as Kacchan picked it up. That was nothing good!

"W-Wait! Don't touch it!" Izuku tried to get his notebook back but was roughly slammed into the wall by one Kacchan's lackeys. With his weak body, Izuku could only fruitlessly struggle against the other boy's grip. "Please! It doesn't concern you! Give it back!"

"Huh? _Supernatural: Journal of Spirits_?" Katsuki read the first page out loud with the mixture of disgust and anger. What was this shit? Izuku looked down in embarrassment, hearing the laughter of his classmates that followed. With the look of silent anger and disappointment, he used both his hands to scorch the notebook with explosion. Bakugou felt sick from even touching this thing.

As Izuku just stared in shock at his former childhood friend, the classmates around kept laughing at his situation.

"Seriously, Midoriya? Aren't you a little too old for this stuff?"

"Hey, don't make fun of him! Or he is going to curse you with black magic! Haha!"

"Oh, let him be! He is a lost cause anyway!"

"Yeah, I know. But spirits?" The guy laughed as he gave Midoriya the mocking look. "I guess, he finally lost it!"

"Deku... You really should give up on your stupid dream." The sole voice of Bakugou made everyone fall silent but their cruel smiles were still present. For them, Izuku's dream was nothing but another laughing matter. A running gag of their everyday life as future heroes! Seeing a good for nothing classmate try and be something bigger? What a joke!

Izuku looked up at Kacchan, who was standing with the menacing aura surrounding him. The feeling of hopelessness was growing in his chest. The tears were threatening to escape his eyes. Giving him a harsh glare, Katsuki tossed the scorched and steaming notebook to his feet and asked with every word soaked in anger and disgust:

"What are you capable of, anyway?"

* * *

Bakugou was pissed. More than he usually was.

His sole reason for attending the school as shabby as this one was to become known as the only one from here to enter Yuuei! And now some Quirkless good for nothing was trying to mess his plan up?

Deku used to be his childhood friend. And while he was a textbook example of a good for nothing, Bakugou thought with disgust, at least he was supposed to have brains in his head.

Then why did Deku keep clinging onto his dream so desperately? The little good for nothing was just an eyesore. A pebble in his way. A reminder to everyone how and why Quirkless people would never amount to anything in the world of professional heroes. And yet this nerd just kept his head in dreams and fantasies? What an idiot!

Bakugou gritted his teeth in annoyance

His eyes narrowed as he smelled the smoke. How many times does he have to tell these two to stop messing around whenever he is near? If one of their stupid antics got him a bad school report, he would personally blow them to pieces.

"Cut it out you two!" Bakugou said through gritted teeth, his murderous mood clear in his words. Guys like these two took things seriously only when threatened. Why did he make them his lackeys again?

"Alright, alright!" Shinko, the guy with extending fingers, muttered as he tossed a cigarette aside. What was he so worried about? It's not like the alley was watched or something. "Geez, man, you really are uptight!"

"Shut up." Bakugou growled out. He was in no mood to deal with such stupid things. He just wanted that useless Deku to finally stop trying to compete with him. That was just too pathetic...

Bakugou exploded the can of soda in his hand when he heard one of them scream behind his back.

"Alright, you two, enough of-!"

What Bakugou turned back, his red eyes widened in shock at his lackeys' position. Both of them were up in the air, looking like something or someone was holding them in two giant hands. Recovering from the initial shock, Bakugou's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation. Whoever this villain was, he couldn't risk attacking him head on. First, he needed to get those two free so that they could call for help.

Bakugou jumped up with explosions from both hands acting as boosters.

"Let them go!" Bakugou exclaimed as he hit the area around Shinko's upper body with explosions. As Bakugou continued using his Quirk, he noticed something. No screams. No cursing. He didn't hear anything but explosions. He was sure the power of those were enough to at least make him swear a little. Was the villain mute or just didn't feel pain? The monster shook Bakugou off his hand and the latter landed on the ground. "Fuck... You are tough!"

With his desire to destroy whatever this thing was increasing, Bakugou couldn't help but feel his body get hotter.

"But I am tougher!"

He slammed both palms together, creating the explosion big enough to hide in all the smoke. He needed to keep his focus on any sign of the villain's weakness. Was he just invisible? Or did his Quirk hide every single bit of his presence? He didn't have much time to think further when all of a sudden the ground shook and the smoke was blown away by the powerful stream of wind.

 _Why did it smell like blood?_

"Grargh!" He felt all the air leave his whole body as the invisible hand of giant size slammed into front. Barely conscious, he felt the same hand grab him by his ankle and slam against the wall like a ragdoll. Bakugou felt the salty taste of blood in his mouth and looked up, the vision getting more and more blurry with every second. He looked at his lackeys lying on the ground in the puddles of blood. "... damn... you!"

Bakugou raised his fist, ready to blow the thing into pieces before all the damage he took caught up with him and he fell unconscious.

* * *

Izuku was flipping through the pages, glad that most of the information was more or less safe. Still, it didn't help hit mood in any way. No matter how much he hated it, but Kacchan was right in his own way.

In order to enroll in Yuuei, he would need to pass physical exam. And accomplishing it without a Quirk was more of a dream than reality. And what he had... It was anything _but_ a Quirk. Izuku sighed, thinking about his... _gift_.

 ** _The ability to see the dead..._**

 _"Boy..."_ The words of the old man echoed in his mind. _"Can you really see me?"_

Izuku still remembers how much that simple question confused him then. The old man looked intrigued and hopeful and, for some reason, concerned. When Izuku nodded in confirmation, that man asked another confusing question.

 _"You don't have a chain..."_ He started with a statement. _"Does that mean that you are not dead?"_

Izuku sighed, thinking about how much that question shook him.

 _"Hey, kid," Before he could answer, the little Izuku turned his head to the second voice. Behind him stood a man in his late thirties, dressed in a simple suit. This man had some semblance to the old man in front of him. When Izuku looked into his eyes, he saw the worry and concern. "Who are you talking to here? Your friend with Invisibility Quirk?"_

 _"I am talking to him. And he doesn't have Invisibility Quirk." Izuku pointed in direction of the old man. The adult man's eyes just narrowed. Was he pretending he couldn't see the old man? Or did he actually- "Y-You can't see him?"_

 _"Sorry, kid." The man scratched his head awkwardly. "Are you sure, you are alright?"_

 _"Y-Yes... I think so..." Izuku turned to the old man, asking silently for some answer to all of he got from him was just a sad smile and nod of confirmation._

Quirks all seemed like miracles and fantasies becoming a reality when they first manifested. What followed, however, proved that all of them were, one way or another, more of evolutional leaps. Essentially, all of them were tied to the user's body. All of them had limits. All of them had some explanation, no matter how complicated or ridiculous it might have sounded.

But his ability?

No matter how hard he searched for it, all his attempts to find even the hint at the ability similar to his were fruitless. There were Quirks like Telepathy, Clairvoyance, even TimeLine Vision! There were people who could reanimate corpses and bring inanimate objects to life! But there never was even a single person, who could actually interact with the dead people.

It was something different.

 _Definitely not a Quirk._

Something supernatural.

 _But then what was it?_

Izuku closed his notebook and put it back inside his bag. he really needed to hurry back home before his mother started worrying. Ever since that day, Izuku would often try and find the other ghosts. He would try to talk to them. Somewhere, where nobody would notice. In private, he would try and learn as much as he could from each one of them.

Over the period of time, Izuku started talking to them not just for the sake of something new to add. But just for the sake of conversation. They would talk about so many different things. Families, friends, opportunities, regrets! They talked to him about all the things they wanted. And in return...

They were always there to listen. Whenever he wanted to talk someone about things he couldn't tell his mother, he would come to them. They would always listen and even give him some advice, sometimes good and sometimes bad. It has been almost four years by that time when he started seeing all the dead people equal to the living. He would talk to them and sometimes just hang out with them in his free time.

On one of such occasions, he got caught.

It all happened when he met a ghost girl near the river in the park. There was something different about her. Something he never saw in other ghosts. It was the energy. The same energy that he felt whenever he was around ghosts but... Stronger? He needed to know what made her different. He let himself get blinded by the excitement to finally learn something new and failed to see that he was being watched.

 _"Izuku... Is everything alright with you?"_

He still remembers that immense worry in his mother's eyes when she saw him, sitting alone near the river and talking to thin air. The way he talked, the pauses he made and the way his face changed all throughout the ordeal were nothing similar to his usual mumblings under his nose. To anyone watching, it was obvious that he was not just talking to himself.

At that moment, the five year old Izuku finally understood how much the secrecy of his gift mattered. In his mother's eyes, he saw how worried and at the same time scared she was. Is her son alright? Did _this_ affect him that much? Is there a way to help him? Even without the ability to read minds, Izuku knew the thoughts running in his mother's head.

Izuku, a five year old then, finally understood just how much his gift could affect his life if it were to be revealed and misunderstood. Would his mother think he was going crazy? That the shock of being Quirkless drove him insane? If she did, then she would probably send him to the nearest mental clinic. But he wasn't crazy, right? He wasn't...

 _"Izuku, w-who are you talking to?"_

 _His heart started beating faster. What was he going to tell her? He wanted to tell the truth. Simple and sincere._

 _But something deep inside of him was against it, yelling and screaming to lie. Izuku couldn't bear the feeling much longer and whispered:_

 _"N-Nobody... Just my imagination, that's all."_

Izuku felt shame and guilt as he remembered that particular lie. It was not a good lie. Far from it. And he was sure, any other person could easily tell that he was lying. But his mother?

She believed him. No more questions followed and she just trusted him.

His mother had absolute trust in him...

That made Izuku feel only worse.

Ever since that day, Izuku tried to not hang out with the ghosts as much as he used to. He didn't want to lie or worry his mother even more than he already did. They understood him but still were sad about it. As Izuku went back to his lonely life, he dedicated his time to further research of what his gift might be. But so far, he still had not even a theory on what it really was.

 _If only there was even the slightest hint..._

His thoughts were interrupted when, all of a sudden, the loud roar and the sounds of explosion rang through the air, alerting everyone. What was going on? Another villain attack? Izuku ran towards the sounds of destruction. As he was getting closer and closer, something deep inside his consciousness screamed of danger. What was it? This strange feeling again... The unknown energy...

Why did it feel so familiar to all those spirits and yet completely different at the same time?

"Oh my God..." Izuku whispered, frozen in fear before the sight of him. He has seen lots of villains, all shapes and sizes and forms. But nothing like this _monster_ ever appeared in front of him. "Wh-What is this thing...?"

The monster was three times the size of an average person, towering over the crowd. Its skin was pitch black and looked stretched all over his muscles. Starting from elbows, strange bone-like material covered its hands and formed claws on its fingertips. The same material was all over his shoulders and legs. Its head looked like the lizard skull with blade-sharp teeth and horn-like extensions on it, three short and thing lines of red running under its glowing green eyes. But what trule caught Izuku's attention was the giant hole in the monster's chest.

For reasons unknown, Izuku could feel his entire being shiver in cold and fear at the sight of it.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Izuku watched Deathgoro launch himself at the monster with his giant fist ready to punch another hole in the monster. The monster lazily drew his arm back, making Izuku wonder why Deathgoro wasn't moving out of the way. Two fists clashed against each other, making the windows all around shatter from the sound wave. Deathgoro grabbed the monster by the wrist and took it off the ground before slamming it against the concrete.

With all his strength, Deathgoro started pulling on the limb in his hands, effectively ripping it off. The monster cry, which, for some reason, was ignored even by the hero himself.

"I-I am not sure," some woman answered, trying her best to remain calm as she watched all the destruction around. "I-I think some invisible villain attacked the students!"

Wait... Izuku's eyes widened as he looked at the scene in front of him again. That thing... This monster was... one of the ghosts?

Did that mean that even heroes...

Izuku's eyes widened when he saw the black flesh grow back in place of the missing limb at the terrifying speed. The monster stood up and raised its newly formed clawed hand. The action Deathgoro was absolutely oblivious to.

"Look out!" Izuku yelled, trying to warn the hero. "He is-!"

But his cry died out in the noise of the scene and the blade-like claws slashed through his skin from shoulder down to the belt, opening the giant wound. Before the superstrong hero could even say anything, Izuku watched the monster draw its fits back before slamming it with full force into the hero's body. The force of the impact would be more than enough to send the hero flying into the wall if the monster didn't grab the hero by both of his legs.

Its grip tightened and the hero cried in agony at the feeling of both of his ankle bones being shattered instantly. But it seemed that the monster's true goal was to just rip the hero in his hands apart.

"I got him!" The monster let out another cry of pain as numerous lacquered wooden spears cut through his flesh. Deathgoro fell on the ground, his legs broken and useless. "Get Deathgoro out of here! I'll deal with this one!"

While the villain was invisible and strong enough to go against Deathgoro, Kamui used the chance to attack the monster from the distance. With his body pierced, there was no way for the villain to escape! The wooden constructions sunk in deeper and deeper until they were buried into the concrete, immobilizing the villain. The monster roared in anger, trying to break free and grabbing onto the spears that went through his body. The other heroes started attacking the invisible monster, sending blasts of energy, various projectiles or just using the brute force. Izuku watched in awe as the monster seemed to succumb to the damage and fell on its knees.

All of a sudden, Kamui felt one of the spears crack and his eyes widened in shock. He could feel the villain's powerful grip on the extensions from his hands, slowly breaking them. But that was not the oddest thing. He could feel something deep inside of the monster heating up. It felt like...

"No... It can't be..." Kamui whispered, struggling to keep the villain under control. As he felt that all of the bindings were about to shatter, Kamui turned to all the heroes who were too close to the monster. "Everyone! Get away from that thing! NOW!"

The powerful explosion broke out, injuring several heroes in the process and shattering the bindings at the same time. Izuku eyes widened in shock as the flesh on the monster's belly exploded from the inside, revealing the hostages inside. Trapped by what appeared to be black strings of flesh tissue, Bakugou struggled to get away but to no avail. As the new flesh started forming around his body, Izuku could only helplessly watch his friend become consumed by it once again.

All heroes could only watch with the same look of horror as the ash blond kid disappeared into thin air once again. All this time, there was civilian inside of that thing? And what's more, they couldn't bring it down no matter how hard they tried. Kamui gritted his teeth, feeling the flames burning and scorching his wooden limbs while one of the Healer-type heroes was busy tending to the unconscious Deathgoro.

Izuku watched the heroes just stand there, motionless and doubtful. They all were now times more cautious, knowing that an innocent was involved and that even heroes as powerful as Kamui Woods and Deathgoro were useless against whatever that thing was. All they could do was to wait until the hero with the proper Quirk arrived. But...

What was going to happen to Kacchan?

What was that thing even to begin, with?

As Izuku's heartbeat accelerated, he felt himself sinking into fear and despair more and more as each second passed. The heroes didn't see the monster... They couldn't save him even if they did... And he saw him but... But...

 _What are you capable of, anyway?_

"K-Kacchan..." All Izuku's doubts and fears vanished when he saw the eyes of his friend. Those eyes, which always looked down on him and showed no pity or mercy, had the plead for help in them. He didn't even understand why he ran. All he knew and thought about was that his friend was in danger. And he was not going to just stand here and watch.

 _Why am I doing this?_

The civilians and heroes alike watched the middle school kid run towards the invisible threat. It was a suicide! Someone had to stop him before he killed himself! Izuku ignored all reason and logic and just ran! But why? Why _couldn't_ he just stop?

 _There is nothing I can do!_

Izuku took the backpack and threw it into the monster, drawing its attention to himself. As he kept shortening the distance between the two of them, Izuku didn't notice the green light form at the very bottom of his feet.

The beast opened its mouth wide and soon the explosive blast was shot in Izuku's direction. He should have stopped! He should have run away! Back to safety! He would die here! There was nothing he could do to save his friend!

 _Then why...?_

 _Why?_

 _Because his eyes were calling for help..._ Izuku thought as he felt his body move out of the way faster than he could imagine. With a clear shock in his eyes, Izuku looked around himself. His eyes widened even more in surprise when he realized that he was in the air, meters above the ground. What just happened? How did he...

 ** _"YOU!"_** The monster roared out. And even though the words were heard only by Izuku, the sound was powerful enough to shatter any glass object in the nearby radius. Before Izuku could even react, the monster took off and launched himself into Izuku, successfully capturing him with his clawed hands. **_"So this is you, whose Reiryoku I sensed on those kids! I am so glad I didn't have to look for you!"_**

"W-What?" Izuku's eyes widened. Kacchan was attacked... because of him? All of this destruction happened because of him?

 ** _"Now that I have you, I have no use for the little brat here, I guess."_** The monster grinned as he released Bakugou from his own flesh, letting the unconscious kid fall down towards the ground. He already got enough of his Reiryoku and would rather feast on much more delicious and powerful soul.

Izuku's eyes widened as he desperately tried to break free from the monster's grip. He needed to save Kacchan! He had to! **_"Don't worry, kid! Soon you will join him so now... Itadakimasu!"_**

Izuku stared into the monster's open mouth, gritting his teeth. When he thought he could save someone, he failed... Again. Suddenly, he heard the cheering down below. Averting his gaze, Izuku watched the crowd cheer as the greatest hero All-Might held Kacchan's unconscious body in his hands. He was safe! Izuku couldn't help but smile at that. At least, his friend would survive this experience.

For better or worse, but he was ready to face his end.

Suddenly, the strange feeling returned as the glowing barrier appeared underneath him and the monster before, seemingly, disappearing.

"That should keep the people below safe for a while..." Izuku opened his eyes as he felt the energy, similar to his own, but times and times more powerful. Both him and the monster looked to their right and saw the man standing on thin air.

"How about you let the kid go and crawl back to Hueco Mundo, Hollow?"

He was much taller in comparison to an average Japanese person, had orange hair (probably bleached) and sharp brown eyes, which, coupled with his scowling expression, made Izuku uneasy. The man wore the plain pair of jeans and dark red shirt with number 15 on his chest. Overall, he gave off the feeling of a typical delinquent.

Suddenly, Izuku realized something. This guy... He could see the monster just like he could, right? But then the question was...

 _Is he just like me?_

 ** _"Who the hell are you?"_** The monster sneered, licking his teeth with sickeningly yellow tongue. The creature breathed in, as if it could sniff the man from such distance. This Reiatsu… It felt like nothing he ever felt before. Its eyes narrowed in hostile suspicion. **_"You are not one of those pathetic heroes?"_**

"Right, I am not." Ichigo said simply, pulling out a palm-size wooden pendant with a skull and cross image carved into the center. He cast a brief look at the heroes and people below. It didn't take even a minute for the top hero, All Might, to launch himself up right after the "villain". Luckily, the Kido barrier he set up would hold long enough for him to finish the Hollow off.

His brown eyes sharpened at the Menos, hungry and ready to devour souls in the desperate attempt to fill his eternal void.

Lately, some Hollows developed the ability to hide their Reiatsu, staying unnoticed even by Shinigami. So, naturally, the Gotei-13 was concerned with finding out the cause of this, by all means necessary.

He was strongly recommended to try and incapacitate all the Hollows like _this_ one for the sake of the research. So going all out would make this much harder. Luckily, he had enough experience to deal with a low-class Hollow even with _this_ power.

"But soon you'll wish I was."

The next moment Izuku felt the sudden surge of energy completely unknown to him. He saw the mysterious glow surround the man's body, the feeling getting stronger and stronger. All of a sudden, the hurricane of blue energy swirled around the young was just so much of this energy! Izuku could sense the energy similar to the 'Hollow' that was holding him, the energy similar to all those spirits he met before and yet that was just scratching the surface!

Izuku watched the black flames spread all over and white stripes coil around the man's body until the wild dance of this energy slowly came to an end. When the blinding light was gone and Izuku could see again, his eyes widened in shock. All of his normal clothing gone, the man emerged in a completely black bodysuit, snow white armor covering his chest, arms, shoulders, and feet. runs across his face. A single white stripe ran across his face.

 ** _"Your Reiatsu is similar to that of Hollows."_** The monster's words were soaked in venom as he spoke. His eyes were looking over the man up and down, analyzing every single detail about his appearance. The Hollow narrowed his yellow eyes in disgust. **_"And yet you also reek of Shinigami! So what are you...?!"_**

"I am not a Shinigami assigned to this area. So technically, I have no real problem with you, if that's what you want to know." Ichigo said nonchalantly. The badge in his hand glowed green. Two beams of the green light extended from the opposite sides of the badge, taking the form of the blade and the hilt. The blade was purely black safe for the silver edge and was the length of a man's entire arm. The hilt was long enough to handle it with two hands and wrapped up in white bandages. "But I am not the type of guy to ignore another person in trouble."

"So I'll repeat myself. How about letting this kid go..." Gripping the hilt, Ichigo pointed the blade at the Hollow and got ready to attack. "and fighting me instead?"

The Hollowed gritted its sharp teeth, glaring at the orange haired punk like the nuisance he was. He couldn't even feel his reiatsu! What was use of some fancy lights when you were so weak and useless?

 ** _"Don't mock me!"_** The Hollow growled out and slammed Izuku into his stomach. The same black flesh tissue from before started wrapping itself around Izuku as if trying to swallow him inside. Instantly, Izuku felt his energy being drained from his body. He did his best to stay conscious but still it was too much for him.

At the same time, the Hollow felt the power. So much energy stored in such a tiny human! It was wasted on a weakling like him!

 ** _"Oh, his Reiryoku is so great...! I knew I was right in getting him! Now, come at me! I am going to take you on and then eat-"_**

His eyes widened in shock as the orange haired punk disappeared in a blink of an eye. He was lucky to block the attack from above with his armored hand. Grinning in feral excitement, the Hollow was about to grab the orange haired punk when, all of a sudden, the armour on his hand shattered under the force of the attack. He felt the pang of pain but ignored it, instead choosing to try and pierce the fucker with his claws.

Dodging all the attacks, Ichigo was trying t concentrate and find the weak spot in this Hollow's body. The last thing he wanted was accidentally killing the kid inside. Ichigo clashed his sword with the Hollow's clawed hand once again, applying his own Reiatsu to strengthen the attack.

" _Shokujin..._ " The moment he felt the Hollow pull his hand back, Ichigo channeled some of his Hollow Reiryoku into the blade, covering it with black and red flames. With the unmatchable speed, he broke the bone armour and cut off the flesh in one single strike. " _Getsuga Tenshou!_ "

The Hollow jumped back, enraged and ready to kill the annoying pest the moment his limb regenerated. But something felt different... Looking down at his missing forearm, the Hollow noticed the burning black and red flame of Reiatsu. Just what the hell did this punk do to him?!

 ** _"Is that the best you can do?!"_** The Hollow roared in anger. He wouldn't let some punk scare him! He commanded his body absorb even more of the kid's Reiryoku into himself. He felt the energy grow beyond his still could drain the kid of as much Reiryoku as he wanted and grow stronger! There was nothing this Shinigami wannabe could do to him now! Opening his mouth, the Hollow used the energy he absorbed to create the sphere of purple energy. **_"EAT THIS!"_**

Ichigo's grip on the hilt tightened and he drew the back. He channeled his Reiatsu into the blade and cut through the blast, nullifying the effect. That was no good! At this rate, the Hollow would kill the kid before Ichigo got him out of his stomach. The Hollow gloated at seeing the worried look on the opponent's face. There was no way this punk had the guts to attack him with all he had!

 ** _"What happened, punk?!"_** The Hollow started draining the energy from Izuku. He grinned in bloodlust and pride over his advantage. **_"Can't risk the life of one brat, can you? You all are alike! Shinigami and Heroes and whatever the hell you are! You are just too weak to do what needs to be done! And that's why..."_**

He took even more of the kid's Reiryoku, creating a bigger sphere than before.

 ** _"... I win!"_** The Hollow roared out, sending the blast right into Ichigo's face. The attack caught him off guard with its sheer strength. Not letting himself get overwhelmed by it, Ichigo gritted his teeth and concentrated on his next move. Sheathing the sword behind his back, Ichigo put both of his hands together and whispered. "... Bakudo #4: Hainawa!"

Ichigo knew that using the Hado or a more complex technique was still too early for him. But the small-scale Bakudo with his immense amount of Spiritual Energy was more than enough for this task. The thick yellow rope formed in his hands and Ichigo threw it at the Hollow, immobilizing him with it. Using the Bringer light, Ichigo appeared right in front of the incapacitated Hollow before piercing into the monster's stomach with his very hands.

"I got you!" Ichigo pulled the green haired kid out of the Hollow's stomach before unsheathing the word and channeling his energy into it. "Getsuga..."

The Hollow's eyes widened at the bright blue Reiatsu forming around the punk's blade at the instant of the slash. Ichigo drew and raised the sword before releasing the attack. The Hollow's cries died as the Reiatsu in the shape of the crescent moon purified him in the blinding wave of light.

Watching the display of power Izuku never saw before, he felt his consciousness slowly slip away. He felt the man's grip tighten around his waist before being put on the solid ground. As the man's arms glowed with green light and reached out to him, Izuku's eyes shut as he fainted from exhaustion.

With his Fullbring slowly sealing back, Ichigo landed on the nearest roof and placed the kid on the ground. He was lucky that the area the barrier covered was big enough for the place to be inside it. Now, all he needed to do was apply some basic medical kido and not incinerate the teen in the process.

 _I knew I should have taken someone from the Fourth Squad just in case..._ As Ichigo made a mental note about this, he heard the cracking sounds pop in the air. Damn, he must have used too much power and now the kido barrier was falling apart. The kido barrier was made specifically to isolate any Reiatsu inside it as well as make them invisible to everyone with low levels of Reiryoku. The last thing he needed now was interrogation from one of the heroes. _The kid is almost healed... Now I need to find his house and get him there before-_

"Well, hello there, young man!" the cloaking function of the barrier was, seemingly, gone now. Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the sight of the man clad in green pants and white shirt. His blond hair formed two long spikes on the top of his head, his skin was tanned and eyes were shadowed. However, his bright smile did little to hide the readiness to attack and subdue him should such need arise. "Do you mind having a talk with me?"

Ichigo could only sigh heavily.

 _This is going to be one of those days then, huh..._

* * *

Izuku woke up with his head as heavy as if it were filled lead. His body was no better, every move causing a pang of pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes and noticed that he was back home.

Was everything just some crazy dream?

Judging by the pain and fatigue, that was very unlikely.

The last thing he remembered was hearing that orange haired man say some strange spell before he fainted from the sudden exhaustion.

"Then how did I get here...?"

"It was me."

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to see the familiar orange haired man, now dressed in the same casual clothes as before. What was he doing in his house? Wait, if he was here right now, then what about...

"H-How did you know where I live?" Izuku asked, his tone curious. Then, another question popped up in his mind, making him look at the door with worried look. If _she_ saw him with all those injuries… "D-Did my mom see you?"

"I just searched for the place that had the greater concentration of your Reiatsu." Ichigo shrugged, not bothering to explain much of what he said. He was lucky that All Might let him bring the kid right away from the battle scene. Otherwise, he would have to deal with the reporters without anything to say. "As for your mother, well, it's not like there's much to worry her, is there?"

Confused, Izuku looked over himself and noticed no bruises or even a scratch. How was that even possible?

As if he was able to actually read his mind, the man answered, "I applied Medical Kido on your wounds. I might not be at even Hanatorou's level but still can heal those little bruises you got. Now..."

Kido? What was that and how could it heal him? That sentence alone made even more questions for Izuku to ask. The man stood up and held out his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." He introduced himself simply. Slightly worried and still cautious around the man, who was still a complete enigma, Izuku shook his hand and smiled politely.

"M-Midoriya Izuku!" Izuku still couldn't help but stutter. "K-Kurosaki-san?"

"Just Ichigo is alright." Ichigo corrected him with a slight edge to his voice. He had enough of such formalities with the unseated officers. "Yeah?"

"Wh-Who are you?"

Izuku didn't know if it was rude to ask it this way but he was just too shaken from the whole experience to think about it right now. This man right here and now was probably the only chance for him to learn what he is and where his gift came from. And just as the first question left his mouth, Izuku couldn't stop the flow of the new ones.

"I-I mean... Why can you see ghosts? T-That thing back then! You called him a Hollow, right? Was he also a ghost? And why did he talk about Shinigami? How did you know where I live? The Shinigami, as in God Death? And what was that 'Reiryoku' he wanted me for? Why did he smell some of it on Kacchan? And what are all those-"

Ichigo's eye twitched at the speed this kid was talking at. Was he still in some shock or something?

"Midoriya!"

"W-Wha-?!" Izuku snapped out of his mumbling state and blushed guiltily. "I-I... I just want to understand what happened today."

Ichigo sighed and nodded in understanding. While he himself didn't care about why he could see ghosts when he was at his age, Ichigo could see just how much the answers mattered to Midoriya. Bringing the chair closer, he sat down right in front of the green haired teen.

"Allow me to explain it from the scratch." Ichigo started, hoping that kid would be able to follow his explanation with pictures. His drawing skills were much better than Rukia's, but he still was a crappy artist. "When a human dies, his soul leaves the body and becomes a Plus. All the ghosts you have seen so far belong to this group."

"The other one is called Hollows."

Izuku gulped, remembering the creature from before. So there were more of those? The entire species of creatures like that?

"You must have seen those chains on the Pluses' chests, right?"

Getting a nod as confirmation, Ichigo continued on with his lecture, "It is called a Chain of Fate. When a person dies, the Chain is broken because it connected the Soul to the body during life. For various reasons, some Pluses tend to stay in the Human Realm. Usually, they stay to fulfill their goals or deal with their regrets."

"But, being unable to communicate with the living, they grow obsessed with those goals and their Chain starts encroaching." Ichigo said with a frown, having experienced this process himself. "The Encroachment takes different amount of time but it all ends with the same results. The masks from their lost hearts form around their heads. The hole appears in the chest where the chain used to be. A Plus transforms into a Hollow."

"When a Plus transforms into a Hollow, most of its human self is destroyed and replaced by the insatiable hunger for other souls, living and dead. They seek after the objects of their obsession first but then..." Ichigo looked Izuku right in his green eyes. "Then they become just ruthless monsters desiring nothing but to devour souls to sate the hunger and emptiness."

"A-And Shinigami are-"

"Essentially, they are also Pluses but way more powerful. They have two main duties to perform in the Human Realm."

Ichigo held out two fingers, "The first one is to perform ritual Konso to help the Pluses move on to the Soul Society. And the second one is to kill Hollows and, thus, purify them before sending them into Soul Society as Pluses. Thus, the balance between the Human Realm and Spiritual World is maintained."

"Wow..." That was the only thing Izuku could say. That was so much to take in. "B-But why can I see them? Why can I see Pluses and Hollows? And does that mean that all those Pluses I have seen disappear throughout my life became Hollows?"

"They could have." Ichigo answered straightforward. He never was the one to sugar things up. "However, this is the first Hollow that has appeared in this city, according to the local Shinigami. Luckily for them and the others, the Konso ritual was performed on time. This Hollow, however,.. We still have to figure out where he came from."

Izuku nodded, still processing all the information. He was really glad that none of those Pluses he has come across were Hollows. But then another thing resurfaced in Izuku's mind. The Hollow said that he was after Izuku all along. But why?

"Kurosaki-san?" Ichigo ignored the formalities and listened. "What's Reiryoku? The Hollow mentioned that Kacchan and the other guys had some traces of mine on them."

"Reiryoku is a power which every being possesses. People like you, Midoriya, possess exceptionally high levels of it. That's why you have the ability to see and interact with the Pluses." Izuku looked at his palms, wondering what else this Reiryoku enabled him to do. That high-speed movement from before was definitely not something he could do before. "However, there are _special_ cases of people who can use Reiryoku for more than just that."

Izuku gulped and focused all of his attention on Kurosaki-san's words., "One of those cases are Full Manifestation Artists or Fullbringers. They are the spiritually aware humans with the ability to manipulate the souls contained within physical matter. This ability is called _Fullbring_..."

"The same power that I possess."

Kurosaki-san took the glass of water and the green energy started glowing around it. Izuku watched with awe as the water left the vessel in snake-like movements before getting sent into the man's mouth.

"The same power that you used today, Midoriya."

"S-So that's what it was back then." Izuku whispered, his voice full of excitement and worry. C-Could that mean that he could be a hero? Could he use this Fullbring to fulfill his dream and become a hero like All-Might? But then the thought struck him. Why would he... "K-Kurosaki-san, why are you telling me all of this? From what I understand, if this power originates from Hollow Reiryoku, wouldn't that mean that there is a chance of me becoming one?"

"Not exactly." Ichigo said with a sigh. "While it still not ruled out as the possibility, this has never happened before. And I have seen many Fullbringers in the last decades."

Izuku's eyes widened. Did he say "decades"? Just how old was he? Was it also part of the Fullbring? The side effect of the interaction with ghosts and spirits? Ichigo sighed as he looked at the green haired kid mumble something under his breath endlessly. Did he always overthink things like that?

"Hey, Midoriya," Izuku's mumbling stopped as Ichigo looked around his room.

So many posters with heroes. Did it really matter to him that much? Did this kid want to become a hero for the same reason as everyone else?

"Why did you run off so suddenly to help that guy? You two don't exactly look like you are friends. And out of the entire crowd, you were obviously the weakest guy there, seeing that you have no Quirk. So why did you risk your life?"

Izuku didn't think much about the answer. He took a breath, calming himself down.

"Ever since I was a kid... I wanted to be a hero. To be able to help and protect people... This has always been m-my dream." Izuku smiled, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "A-And when I saw K-Kacchan... I don't know why but it felt like my body moved on its own. At that moment, I didn't even think about what I was doing. I-I fully knew just how dangerous it was and that I would be of no help but... But I am still happy that I did."

Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle at such simple honesty. Risking your life without any thought? Putting everything on the line for the sake of someone you barely know? This kid, born Quirkless, was already a bigger hero than all those "Pro Heroes" today.

"Well, I guess I have no other choice." Ichigo said, confusing Midoriya. "If you want to become a hero, then I should at least make sure you learn how to control your abilities."

"A-Are you serious?" Izuku asked in non-believing tone. "I-Is it really okay? I-I mean, are you not going to get in trouble with Shinigami for doing that?"

"Trust me, I already have got into enough of it before." Izuku sweatdropped at the statement. Didn't that mean that Kurosaki-san should be more careful with what he does instead of the opposite? "One more is not going to hurt."

Ichigo quickly wrote something on the piece of paper he took from Izuku's desk and handed it to him. "Tomorrow, come to this place. Oh, and get enough sleep, okay? You might start missing it when your training starts."

Izuku nodded in excitement, eyeing the piece of paper in his hands.

This...

This was his ticket to the Heroics Department and his Dream!

 _Today is the best day of my life!_

* * *

 **Okay, guys. This is the rewritten chapter, which had less inconsistencies thanks to the _Ultimate Black Ace_.  
**

 **Thanks to him, I realized some really clunky and weird elements in the chapter and tried to fix them.**

 **For starters, I deleted Chad's cameo because it was way too sudden and didn't really make any sense storywise.**

 **And second, more importantly, during the Ichigo vs Hollow fight, there is a kido barrier (not created by Ichigo specifically though) that prevents heroes from interefering with the battle. The reason why Ichigo set up the barrier is because the Hollow was far too dangerous to keep around the living people, even if they are heroes, that's first. And second, he needed to have more space to use Getsuga Tenshou.**

 **Additionally, instead of Chad's cameo, I decided to put this small piece of dialogue between All Might and Ichigo. I think it contributes to the world-building of the story way more.**

 **Anyway, I hope the edited version is to your liking, guys!**

 **Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Step

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or Boku no Hero Academia.

* * *

 **Guys! Thank you so much for your praise you gave me! I feel really happy that all of you guys took your time to read the first chapter. I would like to specifically thank _MetalMamemon_ , _mr I hate znt nobles kill em_ , _Mei-chiri_ , _Lightningblade49_ and _Fool95_ for your feedback and ideas! Seriously, all of you guys are great!**

 **Sorry if I don't say much here... I am not really good with long announcements and such, so sorry!**

 **To _Hellsider_ , thank you for your praise. I really wish you had signed in Fanfiction so that I could discuss your suggestions with you without spoiling for the other readers!**

 **Anyway, dear readers, don't be afraid to leave any of your concerns/remarks/complaints/ideas/suggestions in review sections! I believe that story can grow times better if it receives feedback from different people with their ideas and outlooks on the plot.**

 **I will try my best to give you lots to think about so that I could get more feedback from you! (Sorry if I sound review-hungry here!)**

 **Now, onto the story itself.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The First Step.**

* * *

It was a Saturday afternoon. Outside, the sun was shining bright and warm. The laughter of kids playing heroes was easy to hear even through the thick glass of his window. The weather was nice and many of the neighbors enjoyed it outside of their homes, laughing at each other's jokes or simply talking about some mindless topics.

And only he was restless in this seemingly perfect day.

Lying on his bed, Bakugou glared at the ceiling in the mixture of annoyance and frustration. Despite the doctors' advice, he chose not to stay in the hospital for further examination. Those worried looks the staff gave him were pissing him off.

No fractured bones and not even as much as a scratch!

He was fucking fine for God's sake!

His mind, however, was not as good as his body.

A single thought was running through his mind, burning wildly and fiercely, eating him alive from the inside.

Out of all the things he could busy his brain with, his mind just had to focus on him. With the constantly burning spite, Bakugou was thinking about his "childhood friend". Someone he planned to ever think about upon enrolling in Yuuei.

 _Fucking nerd..._ Bakugou thought, grinding his teeth and scorching the sides of his pillow in his hands.

Bakugou has never been weak or in need of help. He always knew he was better than the others and his belief in it was unshakeable. And Deku has always been his complete opposite.

No matter what they did, be it skipping rocks or leading the others, Bakugou always was the best. Deku, however, was and could do nothing. The nerd always would follow him around like a little sidekick, showing awe and respect at the things Bakugo never tried hard to do.

Before he even discovered his Quirk, Bakugou knew that Deku would always be a good for nothing.

And yet this little nerd just refused to accept the reality, living in his own dream world. After all, what did he actually have?

He was weak and cowardly!

What could he do? Nothing but write those useless notes of his!

He should have long since given up on his stupid delusions. Instead, he just kept getting desperately chasing after the impossible like a little kid! This was just pathetic...

 _Pathetic..._

That was exactly how _he_ was feeling right now.

* * *

 _Barely holding onto the reality around him, Bakugou was slowly losing his consciousness._

 _Any attempts to move were fruitless and it was getting harder to breathe inside this thing. All his senses were fucked up! Once he was buried inside the villain's body, Bakugou couldn't hear or see or even feel anything. Trapped inside this flesh prison, Bakugou couldn't even feel the motion of the villain._

 _'I gotta do something...!' Bakugou roared in his mind, using his Quirk to its fullest. He was going to break out and tear the villain with his bare hands! Readying himself to escape and rain even more blasts onto the villain, he exclaimed, 'Fucking DIE!'_

 _To his shock, nothing happened. Not even the smallest spark came from his palm._

 _Why didn't it work? His palms were still sweating the nitroglycerin-like fluids but nothing happened? Bakugou gritted his teeth in anger._

 _Was this villain somehow nullifying his Quirk?_

 _With an annoyed look in his eyes, Bakugou spat, 'SHIT!' before suddenly feeling his body grow numb and tired. Bakugou breathed out in fatigue. Just what the fuck was happening to him?!_

 _Whatever little air he had suddenly smelt like rotten flesh. Without the walls of flesh pressing against him, it suddenly felt suffocating._

 _Not just physically but also mentally._

 _He swore he could hear cries and pleading voices. Screaming for help. For mercy. Before all of them were ultimately silenced by the loud roar and sounds of tearing flesh and death screams._

 _What were those?_

 _Some mental messages to mess his fucking mind up?_

 _Bakugou's train of thought was broken when several wooden spears almost pierced him._

 _Was that a hero trying to take the villain down? Must have been so._

 _And judging from how close the attack was to him, a hero didn't know that there was a hostage inside. Bakugou clenched his teeth in the mixture of frustration and resolve. He would be damned if he just waited for them to figure it out!_

 _With all his willpower gathered into his fist, Bakugou managed to create the explosion powerful enough to tear through the flesh he was stuck inside. Immediately, he saw the destruction this villain had caused! The heroes gathered here were obviously taken aback by the fact that there was a hostage involved. Damn it, he needed to get out of that thing so that they could fight properly!_

 _Receiving so much needed air, Bakugou kept struggling against the invisible ropes holding him back. He needed to get out of this thing so that the pros or he himself could finish it off! Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to create another explosion, it just didn't work. As the sensation of invisible flesh covering him returned, the familiar sense of exhaustion returned._

 _He could feel the strength in his body slip away. He coughed out some blood and looked at his pale palms get stained in the blood. He didn't even have any strength to swear at this point. His fighting against the growing fatigue was to no avail and soon his consciousness started fading away._

 ** _'This smell...!'_** _Bakugou heard the villain's voice echo in his mind. Did he hear his thoughts just now? ' **This is the Reiatsu I sensed earlier! So this brat is nothing but a small fry, ha!'**_

 _With the only eye still not concealed behind the flesh, Bakugou saw the last person he_ expected _or_ wanted _to see here. The last thing he saw before losing his consciousness was the worried look on the good for nothing Deku's face as he rushed to rescue him!_

* * *

Bakugo gritted his teeth, burning the holes in the wall with his glare at the memory. After he was saved from the fall by none other than All Might, he was quickly transported to the hospital. The EMT workers told him that his pulse was extremely low and that he was more dead than alive. To the doctors' and everyone else's, he was back to normal by the time they arrived.

Miracle?

Luck maybe?

Bakugou could care less about any of those things.

He took his first chance to leave and head home. He hoped he would find that bastard of a classmate on his way and give him a fucking piece of his mind. All his way there, Bakugou felt the wild mixture of emotions boil and change inside of him.

The embarrassment at not being able to do anything grew and turned into irritation.

That small irritation became anger.

And this anger was just another drop in the ocean of hatred and hostility towards his "childhood friend".

 _How dare he look down me...!_

He never saw the villain who attacked him and those lackeys of his. Even covered by whatever that thing was made of, Bakugou was unable to see any of it. Moreover, the villain was somehow draining his energy and isolating him completely from the outside world. That was the first time he felt so helpless.

This villain was powerful and there was nothing he could do to him no matter how hard he tried!

He understood that. He understood just how dire the situation was with that thing impossible to defeat even for the pros. He understood just how close to death he was!

And yet...

 ** _He just couldn't understand it._**

Why did that good for nothing rush to help?

He was Deku! Useless and Quirkless, Bakugou was sure, Deku couldn't even see that thing. He would just die like a little shit he was! After all, if he, with all his power and talent, could do nothing in this situation, how could someone like Deku change anything at all?

But that was not the most important thing here.

 _I never asked him for help!_ Bakugou's burning red eyes sharpened in anger and disgust.

Being saved by someone as weak as him? Actually _owing_ anything to him?! The very thought of it made his blood boil and his desire to explode the fuck out of the nerd almost unbearable!

 _I didn't need his help!_

And now, because that nerdy piece of shit ran off somewhere early in the morning, Bakugou couldn't do anything but simmer in his own frustration and anger. All he could do now was wait for the fucker to show up so that he could tell him what he thought about his help!

"Just where the hell did that shitty nerd run off to?!"

* * *

Among offices and headquarters of major corporations, the certain green haired teenager was standing speechless with a schoolbag full of his notebooks held tight in his hands. Why did Kurosaki-san ask him to bring all of them here? And why **here** of all places?

Right now Izuku was staring wide eyed at the headquarters of Hans Enterprise. Founded by a young but extremely gifted man with a vision and ideas ahead of his time, Hans Enterprise was now a multibillion-dollar multinational conglomerate with vast wealth and power in all sectors of economy. The national media would always wait for the company to announce their newest products, knowing how drastic of a change those could bring. The place of such class and caliber...

 _There's no way **this** is the training ground! _

Izuku looked around nervously, wondering if he got the address wrong. There was no way they were going to train near this place! Izuku regretted not having asked for Kurosaki-san's phone number. He would be able to call and ask for directions then.

"Yo!" Izuku yelped when someone grabbed him by the shoulder from behind. Did one of the guards think he looked suspicious? Turning around, Izuku sighed with relief at the sight of his mentor. Giving him a wave of hand as a greeting, Kurosaki-san walked past him right towards the entrance with two guards standing there. "Midoriya, are you coming or what?"

Izuku froze in his place for a few brief moments before following behind the orange haired man. As Kurosaki-san showed a black plastic card with something written on it, the security officers stepped aside and let them through, surprising Midoriya with their fast response. Just what kind of person was Kurosaki-san?

He didn't get to think about that a lot as both entered the place. Inside, it looked even bigger and more imposing than from the outside. The building must have been around for decades by now, but it still looked so clean and flawless as if it has just been built. People in expensive suits were busy with their own affairs, ignoring everything around themselves.

As Izuku took another look around the place and couldn't help but ask himself:

 _How are we supposed to train in here?_

"Midoriya, follow me."

Kurosaki-san's voice interrupted his thoughts as Izuku headed to the elevator after the orange haired man. Stepping inside the cabin, Izuku watched with curiosity as Kurosaki-san touched the black screen near the panel. His fingertips glowed bright blue for a brief moment before the screen slid away, revealing the button with a "X" letter on it.

"K-Kurosaki-san?" Izuku asked in worried tone as the elevator came into motion. His worry grew with every second in here. Was it really okay for them to even be here? As far as he knew, Hans Enterprise never involved itself with heroes other than providing some with their support tech. Seeing Kurosaki-san turn to him, Izuku continued with the same tone, "A-Are we really going to train here? I mean, does this place even have training grounds?"

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo reassured with a sigh. The elevator stopped, alerting the passengers about their arrival with a gentle bell sound. "Here we are, Midoriya..."

As the doors slowly opened, Izuku looked at the place and couldn't help but feel confused and slightly underwhelmed.

The place was barely big enough for five people. It was completely empty. No training gear or equipment. Not even a single piece of furniture. How could they train in here?

Seeing the confusion on the green haired kid's face, Ichigo took a few steps forward before speaking, "You must be wondering why, of all places, I chose this one. But before I explain that, do you remember what I told you about Reiryoku yesterday?'"

"Yes, Reiryoku is the Spiritual Energy each being possesses. People with exceptionally high levels of it can see and interact with the Pluses." Izuku said confidently, now eagerly waiting for the answer.

"That's correct." Ichigo nodded, smiling to himself. The teen must have learnt everything they talked about yesterday by heart. "However, Reiryoku is not simply contained inside the user's body. Every Spiritual Being, regardless of their amount of Reiryoku, emits _Reiatsu_ or _Spiritual Pressure_. Since everybody emits Reiatsu, it is possible to detect and locate them using Reiatsu."

Izuku gulped loudly at the thought of it, realizing something. "S-So this is how that Hollow tracked my classmates down?" Kurosaki-san nodded, confirming the question. Izuku took a look around the room once again. Something about this place must have been connected to what the orange haired man has just said. "Does this room somehow hide my Reiatsu?"

"Yes. However, that is-" Ichigo was about to explain the other properties and applications of Reiatsu but was interrupted by the sudden mumbling and sound of pages flipping. His eye twitched slightly as he watched the teenager become absorbed in his own notes.

Izuku couldn't help but reach for notebook inside his school bag. What kind of material was used? Does it have upper limits to how much Reiatsu it could hide? Where did that material originate from? And so many more questions melted into the quiet but nagging mumbling. It was at that moment when Ichigo could _show_ what Reiatsu could be used for instead of telling.

Before he could even finish the first page of his notes, the invisible force pushed him down on the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

 _W-What was that just now...?_ Izuku thought. This feeling lasted for barely a few seconds but Izuku felt like it was hours long. He still could feel his whole body shake. What was it? Fear or simple sudden fatigue? Izuku thought that this was the mixture of both. He looked up at the orange haired man with a worried look in his eyes. _Could it be Kurosaki-san's..._

"You possess quite high level of Reiatsu already, Midoriya." Right now, his Reiatsu was around the level of the unseated officer. But that was only now, when the teen just discovered his powers. The level he could achieve in the future was still a mystery. "But

"Your lack of control over Reiatsu doesn't present danger solely to you, Midoriya." Ichigo started, his small frown being the only evidence Izuku needed. "Reiatsu be used as both defense and offense. What you just felt was me using the portion of my Reiatsu to stun you. However..."

His brown eyes sharpened and his next words froze Izuku in his place, "Beings with exceptionally high levels of Reiatsu can also inflict major harm and even disintegrate those around them."

Izuku never saw anyone near him being literally forced against the floor by his Reiatsu. And did he just say "disintegrate"?!

Was he really able to kill someone just by being near them?! The very thought of such power terrified Izuku.

Seeing the worry and fear in Izuku's eyes, Ichigo sighed in understanding. From his own experience, Ichigo knew how the idea of hurting those around you just by staying near them could shake even people like himself.

"Until now, your Reiatsu levels have been pretty average and, naturally, you wouldn't be able to do any of what I mentioned even if you wanted to. But now that your Fullbring is partially awakened, it will continue to grow until it reaches its natural level. And even then, it might continue growing if you train properly."

"S-So... Our training today is-"

"Our training is going to be focused on two goals." Ichigo held up two fingers. "The first one is awakening your Fullbring powers. Once we do it, we can work on further developing them in the following months."

It was important for Ichigo to have Midoriya complete his Fullbring before the entrance exam. As much of a liar Ginjo was, he didn't lie about dangers the incomplete Fullbring ability could bring, something he saw with his own eyes. And judging by what he saw and found about Midoriya in the short amount of time he had, the teen would apply for Yuuei even if he would put himself in danger.

"Once your Fullbring is awakened, we are going to work on your Reiatsu control. That will be out second goal of today's training."

As if Kurosaki-san had the control over this entire place, the room immediately responded to the snap of his fingers. As each section seemed to break into smaller black squares, the room started changing its shape. Izuku took a step back when the giant black cube grew out of nowhere right next to him. The black constructions with green lines outlining their counters continued to appear all around them.

 _That looks just like some video game,_ Izuku thought in slight excitement. Being a big hero fan, it was only natural of him to have lots of video games with his favorite heroes as playable characters. And being in one of those games was the thought that often crossed his mind.

When everything finally stopped moving, the small light appeared in the center of the room and quickly spread around. Each inch this light covered gained color and different features. The builds of all shapes and sizes transformed into trees, rocks, cliffs and etc. The land around them was borderless and limitless. Izuku looked up and saw the bright blue sky with the sun shining above them brightly. He felt the light fresh breeze gently blow against him. Izuku sat on one knee and touched the grass under his feet. It felt so real that, if he didn't see the transformation himself, Izuku would believe that they were somehow teleported into another place.

 _B-But how is this even possible?_ Izuku shot yet another curious and surprised look at his mentor. _I-Is that part of the Fullbring powers?_

"Right now, we are going to play a game as an exercise. The rules are slightly different but still quite simple. First one is about your notebooks. If you lose them, you automatically get disqualified."

Ichigo pulled out his pendant.

"My goal is to find you..." Ichigo explained, his grip on the badge tightening. "... and take you down. But I must warn you..."

Instead of the transformation from before, Izuku watched the black and red waves of Reiatsu surround it before forming the cross with twin extensions similar to scythe blade near the end of each spike.

"If I do this, your power will be destroyed completely without any traces." Ichigo drew his hand back, concentrating the power into his right hand. Midoriya's shocked expression was completely ignored. "The only way to win and keep your powers is to find and take me down with your Fullbring."

Another wave of Reiatsu washed over Izuku, this time not pressing him against the floor but instead filling his mind with fear and dread.

"So you better not hold back."

 _W-What is this feeling of danger...?!_

Izuku felt his heartbeat accelerate. The chill ran down his spine. This man promised to train him. He promised to help him achieve his dreams! Then why?

 _W-Why do I feel this killing intent?_

"Let's start..." Ichigo whispered before throwing the projectile right towards Midoriya. Izuku yelped, ducking under the swinging weapon. Shaking, he turned around to see the numerous trees and even rocks behind him completely destroyed by this attack. "...now!"

Izuku rushed into the forest.

 _There is nowhere for me to hide!_ Izuku remembered Kurosaki-san's words about Reiatsu. He could be found without even looking. He had absolute zero of information about how it was formed and emitted. Hiding behind large enough rock, Izuku started running through all the notes about both heroes and spirits. _There's gotta be some hint! Anything!_

"You are not doing that well so far." Izuku gulped, snapping out of his thought, as the orange haired mentor stood on thin air right above him. Slowly, he started approaching him. Each step he made left a small green flame after itself before disappearing. The weapon in his hand was burning with black and red flame wildly, alerting Izuku about the upcoming attack.

"Getsuga Tensho!"

Izuku hurried to get out of the way projectile's way before it was even launched, successfully avoiding any damage. Resuming his run, Izuku started going through all the possible ways to accomplish the task. But there was just too little of information to work with!

How was he supposed to use his Reiatsu if he didn't know anything about how it was emitted?

Was there some mechanism behind activating his Fullbring like he did yesterday?

Did he need to somehow replicate the experience in his mind?

And why did he need to bring his notebooks here?

These were only few of the numerous questions filling his mind beyond limit.

He needed a plan. Just a hint!

"Watch out!" Kurosaki-san exclaimed, sending another spinning wheel of black and red Reiatsu.

Affected by his panic, Izuku was too slow to react and got hit straight into the back with the powerful projectile. The attack was definitely weaker than the one Izuku saw before, since he still had his limbs intact. However, he certainly felt the power of Getsuga Tenshou.

Stepping out of the created cloud of dust, Izuku fell on his knees and coughed out the blood on the ground. Wiping off some of it with his hand, Izuku looked at the blood-stained palm with his vision blurry and bells ringing in his head. Izuku tried to stand up but fell back on the knees. His skin was burning, his muscles were in agonizing pain and his bones felt like they were shattered.

 _D-Damn it..._ His body aching from every slight movement, Izuku stood up and searched for Kurosaki-san. Seeing that the orange-haired Fullbringer was gone, Izuku sighed with relief. As the pain grew smaller, Izuku looked over himself, noticing multiple bleeding wounds and burns of second and third degrees. Suddenly, he realized something. _M-My backpack...!_

Izuku turned his head in search of the school bag, which he had thrown to the side before getting hit. A few meters away, there lied a small pile of his notebooks, which were miraculously safe and mostly unscathed by the attack. Taking them into his hands, Izuku held the notebooks tightly. Not knowing when the next strike would come, Izuku was going to run in any random direction when, all of a sudden, he felt it.

 _W-What's this..._

It was the feeling very hard to explain. Like a single ripple on the surface of an entire ocean. Izuku closed his eyes and ignored any distracting thoughts, trying to concentrate on this feeling. But it was hard. In the complete darkness his mind currently was, Izuku could see nothing safe for the small and almost non-existing flickers of flight, which would vanish and reappear.

One thing was certain about it.

 _It belongs to Kurosaki-san!_

This was his chance to track Kurosaki-san instead of getting hit without warning. This was his biggest chance for the victory since the start of the exercise! But every time he tried to catch it - to held out his hand and grab it - his concentration was broken and he was back in the dark.

He tried finding this small light again but it just kept escaping him.

Over and over again.

Izuku gritted his teeth, refusing to give up.

The new sensation washed over him and his lips curled into a small smile.

The white and blue light illuminated the dark.

* * *

 _This kid has potential..._ Ichigo noted to himself, using the small camera to watch Midoriya from afar. Right now, Izuku was fully focused on using Reiatsu to find him. Ichigo was changing his position every time he was located in order to keep Izuku occupied with this task. _He progresses fast._

He could easily sense panic, fear and worry in his Reiatsu. But all of those were silenced by something much stronger in Izuku's mind.

Resolution.

 _He fully understands the risks and dangers he is involved with, and yet he doesn't let the doubt stop or slow him down. He analyzes the situation and chooses the most efficient strategy no matter how much he risks his own health._

Basically, both of them were complete opposites of each other in the way they battled. Ichigo relied on his instincts and brute force throughout most of his life as Shinigami.

Meanwhile, Midoriya's strength lied in his brains. He would go through all the possible solutions and ideas before applying one of them to the situation at hand.

 _And this is where it gets difficult for him..._

Fullbring was so far the only power that had no actual set of requirements. There was only one factor all the cases of people awakening Fullbrings had in common. Pride. Hatred. Grief. Love. Or any other strong emotion served as a catalyst for Fullbringers to awaken their power for the first time. Yesterday, Midoriya acted on the pure instinct - his desire to protect and be a hero - and successfully used the Bringer Light. However, right now he was too focused with how to _make_ his Fullbring work instead of _allowing_ it to awaken.

Ichigo knew that he was practically throwing Midoriya blind into this kind of training but the kid needed it, no matter how cliche or stupid that sounded. From what he learned himself, all the Spiritual Beings could learn the control over their Reiatsu in extremely dangerous conditions. For that to really take effect, Ichigo needed to constantly use the psychological effect of his Reiatsu, doing the similar trick to the one Kenpachi once did on him.

For better or for worse, by the time they finished this training, Midoriya either would be one step closer to his dream or completely broken in both body and mind.

In a blink of the eye, Ichigo disappeared into thin air, resuming his chase after the future Fullbringer.

* * *

 _I am running out of breath..._ Izuku thought, panting and sweating. His body was weak and not used to such pressure. His clothes torn and wounds still fresh, Izuku was moving only thanks to his willpower. There was no way he would give up now. Not when he is so close to becoming a hero! _I just have to keep going! I sensed Kurosaki-san's Reiatsu just a few minutes ago! He's gotta be somewhere arou-_

"Midoriya!" Izuku looked up to see Kurosaki-san standing on the air with a grin on his face. "Good job finding me with your Reiatsu."

Izuku once again felt the Spiritual Pressure weigh down on him heavily but did not let himself fall.

"And now you figured out the way to counter it, huh?" Ichigo smirked, seeing the burning fire of resolution in Midoriya's green eyes. "What do you say about the real spar then, Midoriya?"

With eyes as wide as plates, Izuku didn't even get to answer when Kurosaki-san disappeared into thin air. "W-What the-?!" Izuku's shock only grew stronger when he felt a powerful kick to his ribs. With his notebooks scattered all over the place, Izuku was sent into flight. "Ghaaa!"

Slamming hard into the tree, Izuku fell on the ground. And something inside Izuku told him that this was _far_ from what Kurosaki-san could really do. Reappearing right in front Midoriya, Ichigo smirked as he watched the boy quickly get into the fighting pose. "You have determination and smarts to boot. But..."

Once again disappearing in a blink of an eye, Izuku could only make a weak block against Kurosaki-san's kick from behind. He heard the his wrist crack from the force behind it. "You think too much." Ichigo grabbed Midoriya by his broken wrist and tightened the grip, eliciting a small cry from the teen. "You still lack confidence in your power."

Izuku felt the more powerful wave of Reiatsu pin him against the ground. It was almost ten times stronger than before. Shocked, Izuku could only look up at the orange haired man, wondering just how powerful he was.

"Yes, you have the great deal of resolve to become a hero. But you always sell yourself short and lack confidence in your own strength." Ichigo lecture the green haired teen, understanding what could cause it all. "When it is someone in need of help, you rush in and don't think about difference in power or skills. Then why do you shake when you need to protect yourself?"

Izuku didn't have any answer to this. Whenever someone was getting hurt or bullied, he would try and help them. Stand up for them. But when it came to him... Izuku never had enough strength to do anything against his bullies.

"You worked harder than many to become a hero. What you went through today is alone much more than what your classmates could handle. So why?" Izuku could only squirm as the words of Kurosaki-san got harsher. "Why do you have no pride in who you are?"

He always kept struggling against what the society dictated, in hopes of becoming a hero. But when was the last time he was pride about his dream? When he could say it loud and clear with his smile shining?

"Your notebooks..." Caught off guard by the sudden question, Izuku found himself able to move again. Kurosaki-san must have sealed his Reaistu back. Izuku stood up and looked at the notebooks on the ground. "Why did you start writing them?"

"I... When I learnt that I was Quirkless, I didn't want to give up and..." Izuku looked at his notebooks, covered in dirt and dust. "I just thought that if I observed the great heroes, I would find something that could help me. I-I guess, I was looking for something to help me become just like them."

Ichigo nodded, smiling inside. All this teen needed no was just a push.

"Are you proud of them?" Izuku was confused by the question, not sure how to answer it. "When you fill another page... When you draw the heroes you admire there... Even when you look at them... What are these notebooks to you?"

Was that even a question? Ever since that day, he would spend hours writing in them, hoping that one day he could use them as a hero. Ridicule from his classmates, constant reminding about him being a Quirkless, he endured it all because he held onto this dream.

With his knees shaking, Izuku picked up the nearest notebook, the Journal of Spirits. The memories of him talking to the spirits and learning from them, all those happy and sad moments he shared with them were just a small portion of all the feelings he had when writing his notebooks.

Pride.

Admiration.

Hope.

"They all are..." Izuku whispered, clutching it tightly.

Every page, every sentence, every word contained his hopes.

Every time he filled the page, he felt himself one step closer to becoming a hero.

These notebooks...

Each one of them was...

"... the part of my soul!"

With his voice echoing throughout the place, Izuku watched Kurosaki-san's lips curl into the simple but proud smile. Izuku looked at the man in confusion. What was he smiling at? Before Izuku could voice out his question, his attention was drawn to the small glow in his very hands.

 _W-What is going on?_ Not having realized it at first, Izuku's eyes widened in surprise as the green Reiatsu escaped from his fingertips and spread onto notebook in his hands. Despite the initial fear of getting burnt, Izuku soon realized that he didn't feel even slightly hotter. He grew mesmerized by the process and held on the notebook tightly.

However, the notebook itself was turning black from the fire. Izuku's first thought was to stop whatever was happening before his journal turned into a pile of ashes. But something deep inside of him told him to wait.

And he listened.

"W-What's happening?"

The pages of his notebook, now black and scorched, separated from the cover and latched onto his arms and legs. The completely black leaves of paper, that now looked like black steel, covered the areas from fingertips to elbows and from feet to knees.

The cover itself turned into a giant emerald green flame and split into nine smaller ones. These flames flew to his elbows, shoulders, heels and hips. The last one was burning in the middle of his chest.

"I-Is it my…" Izuku marveled at his form. He felt himself filled with power. The feeling he never knew before.

"Yes, Midoriya." Ichigo smirked, watching with the nostalgia at the awakened power. "It is your first step towards your dream. This is your…"

"Fullbring!" Both of them finished at the same time, Izuku smiling in excitement and Ichigo smirking in small pride.

Ichigo watched the flames on Izuku's body grew smaller, sensing the changes in his Reiatsu.

At the moment of awakening, Midoriya's Reiatsu was spreading all around him uncontrollably and wildly. One could mistake the calmer light and flames for the decrease in Reiatsu, but that was far from the truth.

Instead of chaotically spreading all over the place, Midoriya was subconsciously pulling it around himself, thus increasing the concentration of Reiatsu around his body.

 _The first form of his Fullbring is complete…_ Ichigo thought in amusement, looking at the rough form of what the teen's Fullbring would become one day. _Now it's time to test it out._

"Now, come, Midoriya!" Izuku couldn't help but grin at the challenge. "Give me your best shot!"

Excited and full of the fighting spirit, Izuku launched at the orange-haired Fullbringer only to fly by him way too fast.

 _D-Damn it!_ He thought, trying to change his trajectory. He managed to stop midair when he accidentally grabbed onto something. To his own surprise, Izuku found that he was clutching onto nothing but the thin air itself, his fingertips glowing bright green. _W-What did I just-_

"You should focus on your opponent, Midoriya!" Izuku's sense of Reiatsu kicked in, allowing him to dodge the lazy swing of Kurosaki-san's weapon. His reaction was also faster, Izuku noted. Getting ready to counter-attack, Izuku's eyes widened when he saw Kurosaki-san standing in a robe, which seemed to have been made out of black flames. "Don't hesitate!"

Izuku blocked the flaming black sword with his hand, feeling much stronger and more durable. His joy was short-lived, however. He gritted his teeth, feeling the black flames burn through his armored gloves.

"Don't slow down!" Izuku's wind was knocked out of him, as Izuku took the knee to his stomach. "Listen to your instincts! Follow them!"

Listening to the instincts? That sounded more like something Kacchan would do. While the advice didn't help him that much, what Izuku saw before did. Moments before the kick was delivered, Izuku noticed the thin circle of green Reiatsu gather at his feet. This gave Izuku an idea.

He dodged the swing of the blade and drew his fist back. Kurosaki-san said that Fullbring was the ability to manipulate souls inside matter. That meant that, in theory, it was also possible to use souls of particulate matter in the air! Still, that was just a theory and he had no time to properly check it!

The chances of success were small but Izuku was ready to take the risk.

He felt something gather around his shoulder and elbow as he delivered a strike. Kurosaki-san reacted fast and blocked it with his sword, but it seemed that, even with his immense strength, he was forced to take one step back due to the force behind the punch. _I-It worked!_

Ichigo smirked at how fast the teen was learning. Judging the way this punch was delivered and the look of excitement in Midoriya's eyes, the orange haired man could tell that it was not just some dumb luck or inner instinct. _He formulated a theory about how he can use the Fullbring ability and quickly caught up on what exactly was in his arsenal right now… Tch, this is getting interesting._

Using the momentary surprise of Kurosaki-san, Izuku jumped forward and past him before landing on the trunk of the tree behind. _This is my chance!_

The bark shattered under his feet, causing Izuku to lose his balance just for only few seconds. But that was enough for Izuku to miss his perfect opportunity to strike as Kurosaki-san appeared right in front of him with his sword ready to slash him in half.

 _I still can strike him if I properly use the Fullbring!_ Izuku manipulated the soul inside the tree trunk, willing for it to give him the boost in speed. How far could his manipulations go? During the first times, he pulled on the souls inside particulate matter in order for it to harden. But could he make the opposite? _Please work!_

Izuku felt the trunk bend inward slightly under his feet and yet there was no sound which would indicate that the tree was being broken. Looking back for a brief moment, Izuku watched in amazement as the circles of the familiar green light formed at the bottom of his feet. He changed the elasticity of the matter under his feet! That was so amazing!

Snapping out of is awed state, Izuku launched himself forth and under the swinging blade of flames. Stopping right after this, Izuku was mere centimeters behind Kurosaki-san. He watched his waist shift, indicating that, just as Izuku expected, Kurosaki-san was going to try and attack him momentarily after this. Once again using Fullbring on the matter under his feet, Izuku bounced up meters above the orange haired man. This was his best chance at attack!

Two circles formed under his feet in midair, giving Izuku the boost in speed. Like a bullet, he flew down towards Kurosaki-san with his fist drawn back and Fullbring enhancing his incoming blow. _This attack… It feels and looks almost like…_

Izuku's train of thought was broken when the flames on his body disappeared and the black armour on his legs and arms shattered in a blink of an eye.

"Ah…?!" Izuku could only stare in shock at his bare hands, the sudden exhaustion swiftly overtaking him. He was helplessly falling towards the ground, wondering what happened. He didn't have any strength to scream or warn Kurosaki-san. _W-What happened…?_

Izuku watched his Journal of Spirits materialize near him before falling down.

"That was good enough for your first time." Izuku's eyes widened slightly at how fast Kurosaki-san moved. He didn't even feel the orange haired man catch him and safely bring him to the ground. With no strength to even sit up, Izuku could only lie on the grass exhausted and confused. "You almost used up all your Reiatsu in this one go."

Judging by the scolding vibe in his voice, Izuku knew that losing all the Reiatsu was something bad. Just how bad though? The way Kurosaki-san frowned for a moment, it must have been something much more serious than a damage to his body, right?

"I will explain it later." Ichigo sighed, not wanting to spoil the whole experience for the teen. He performed well. Excellent even, for someone with the body as weak as his. Unlike him, Midoriya clearly lacked any prior physical training. "We'll continue our training tomorrow. Since it is Sunday, don't expect me to be as soft on you as I was today."

 _You were being SOFT on me?!_ Even in his exhausted state, Izuku found strength to scream it in his mind and put on his most shocked face. Just what kind of training he was going to go through, if this was Kurosaki-san being "soft"?!

"Now then, let's patch you up for now." Kurosaki-san said, pulling out the small box from his pocket.

Carefully, he placed it on the ground before pressing his palm against it. Initially confused, Izuku gasped when the barrier of green energy formed around him. It was different from Kurosaki-san's, although it seemed that the barrier had traces of the orange haired man's Reiatsu in it.

"What is this?" Izuku's eyes grew as wide as plates as the scorched or burnt skin on his body started healing. He knew a lot about regeneration Quirks but this felt different. The skin was growing back without any pain or discomfort and his entire body was starting to feel refreshed as if he just woke up from the sleep. "K-Kurosaki-san, is this also part of your ability...? Can you teach me how to do it too?"

The mere thought of being able to assist not only in rescuing but also healing the civilians and heroes filled Izuku with energy and eagerness to continue.

"As much I would like to, I can't." Ichigo said simply. At the snap of his fingers, the black pixels started spreading all over the land, consuming it into emptiness. Lazily, he walked over to the small box that now looked like scorched up cube. "The barrier is created beforehand and sealed inside this small box. In order to activate it, I need to channel some of My Reiatsu inside it. Now then, pick up your stuff and get ready to go home. You worked hard today."

"K-Kurosaki-san? I think I can keep going!" Izuku stated, standing back on his feet. Whatever that barrier did, he felt much better now. In fact, he felt just as good as when he first entered the place. "I want to train my Fullbring even more!"

Kurosaki-san simply smirked.

"Glad that you do, but the answer is no." Ichigo stated in voice, that showed there was no room for the argument. "While your physical body is back to normal, your Reiatsu is still at its lowest acceptable point. Training further with this amount of it would be fruitless and harmful."

Though disappointed at first, Izuku had to agree with Kurosaki-san. He himself felt that there was little left of his Reiatsu resources and he would need to wait until they were replenished in order to properly train his control over it as well as his Fullbring.

"W-What?" Izuku exclaimed when, while picking up his notebooks, he caught the silver bracelet. "Kurosaki-san, what is this?"

"While you now have a better understanding and control over Reiatsu, it is still far from decent." Ichigo stated as a matter of fact. "Now that your Fullbring is awakened, your Reiatsu is going to attract more Hollows and affect those around you without the limiter like this one. It will suppress and hide your Reiatsu until you gain perfect control over it yourself. Sounds good?"

"Yes. Yes, it does." Izuku nodded and put it on. Picking up the last of his notebooks, Izuku rubbed his back sheepishly, noting that he would need to buy a new school bag on his way of which… "K-K-Kurosaki-san? W-What time is it?"

Izuku had no idea how long he was trying to locate Kurosaki-san. It must have been hours by now! Oh God, his mother must have been so worried!

"If you are worrying about time, then you shouldn't." As they were back in the familiar black room with nothing inside, Ichigo pulled out his phone and showed the time on it. "See?"

"B-But…!" It was 13:30. Barely two hours since the start of their training. How was that even possible? Izuku looked back at the room in worry. Of course, there were Quirks related to time manipulation and space control. But for room to have it? Was it some kind of time and space warp, just like the ones in manga and anime? "H-How…?"

"Stop stammering. Or worrying." Ichigo's brow twitched when he heard Midoriya muble something under his nose while writing down his theories about the room in his notebook. God, he was just as bad with these as Ishida was with his sewing. "I am leaving."

"W-Wait! Kurosaki-san!"

The two Fullbringers left the headquarters of Hans Enterprise in the middle of the day, each absorbed in his own thoughts.

While Izuku was asking him numerous questions he accumulated throughout their training session, Ichigo was simply enjoying the day. It has been long since he managed to come to the Living World. And he was planning to pay several visits while he still had time here.

 _The life is certainly different now…_ Ichigo thought, as Midoriya wrote down another thing he explained. Not showing that big of a smile, Ichigo still was very happy with the way things were going for now. _I have to make sure they stay this way._

Giving the Midoriya, who was absorbed in his own notes, a quick look, Ichigo couldn't hold back a small smile. He was certainly gifted in his own right and definitely was going to become a great hero one day. He felt happy with helping someone just as he was helped once. And yet, the feeling of worry was still strong in his heart as he thought about what was awaiting the aspiring hero. _This kid just made his first step into the world few have any knowledge about._

"Kurosaki-san? Is everything alright?"

 _I hope he lives long enough to actually make it to the Top Hero spot._

"Yes, Midoriya." He half-lied, as he headed in another direction. Waving in agreement when Izuku reconfirmed the time and place of their training, Ichigo let out a sigh. Silently, he said, reassuring himself more than anyone else.

"Everything is fine."

* * *

 **So here it is, guys! The second chapter of this story.**

 **Now, I would like to once again thank everyone who followed, favourited or reviewed it. Your support means a lot to me right now!**

 **And second, I think I should address a few issues here.**

 **1) Bleach Ending.**

 **I am not going to weigh you down with ranting and all. All I can say here is that I overall didn't enjoy the way BLEACH (one of my most favorite series) ended. As I said, no ranting. Just to make it clear, I didn't like it NOT because of Ichihime or RenRuki or whatever other shallow reason.**

 **That's why this whole story takes place after MY own version of Thousand Year Blood War. Meaning, many things are going to be different from how the manga ended.**

 **2) Changes in BLEACH-VERSE.**

 **As much as I love Bleach, there always were things that seemed quite messy in explanation or just didn't make sense. I am not saying that I am going to make it all better. But I am going to try and make them make more sense. I hope you all will like the changes and my explanations.**

 **Additionally, this story will feature some theories and headcanons brought into reality here. I know how some of you might be disturbed by certain things, but I will try to avoid completely ridiculous ones.**

 **So it is going to be slight Canon-twisting. But not too much. I hate when people break Canons because they want to.**

 **3) Powers.  
**

 ** _Mei-Chiri_ , you raised quite the interesting idea and I really like it. The idea of Class 1-A developing Spiritual Powers akin to Chad's and Orihime's is really interesting and I might just try to incorporate it. The problem is balancing them with Quirks in order to avoid whatever power they have dominating over their Quirk. I will do my best here. **

**_mr I hate snt nobles kill em_ , I am thankful for your feedback. And yes, there will be _certain_ ways for heroes to detect Hollows. Don't worry about the Hero vs Hollow encounters staying like this forever though. I already have a certain idea how to even the odds.**

 **4) Shipping.**

 **There were interesting suggestions on this one. I fully agree with** ** _Mei-Chiri_ on avoiding crossover couples. _Last Future of Embryo_ , I apologize but I am afraid the pairing Ichigo x Mount Lady falls into the category just as Ichigo x Momo.  
**

 **I am a REALLY big hater of sudden crushes and love interest. What I hate most about the way those are written is how the two characters meet, the guy says some cheesy lie and BOOM they are in love. I will do my best in avoiding this.**

 **I do like Uraraka x Izuku. They must be the only good almost-canon couple in the Shounen manga right now. But, to be quite honest, I might not go this direction. Who knows how the things will go though?**

 **Izuku x Tsuyu is surely the second favorite ship, huh? Well, I like her too. Still, not sure how it will sail.**

 **To be quite honest, I don't really want to focus on Romance too much right now. I am going to put some interactions here and there and see how those go. If I like the direction the ship sails and if YOU like it, then I think it is all good.**

 **Right?**

 **4.1.) Harem.**

 **Additionally, I received some PM (the identities of people are not going to be disclosed since they PM-ed me and I take it they didn't want to be mentioned) suggestions about making it a Harem story.**

 **Now, allow me to address this one.**

 **I really like Izuku's character and ship him with so many female characters that it is just ridiculous. So, naturally, the idea of Harem DOES seem tempting.**

 **But here's the major reason why I might not do this one:**

 **Have you ever read an actually GOOD harem story? I never found one in Naruto crossovers or stories. In Bleach, there were only two that really had something in them. Fairy Tail has some decent Harem stories but those are more focused on humor, which is not the main focus in my story.**

 **See where I am going with this one?**

 _ **!SMALL RANT INCOMING!**_

 **What I hate about most harem stories is how some authors treat female characters.**

 **Take any Naruto Crossover and you'll see. Women are stripped of their identity, personality and power just to become one of the _trophies_ for Naruto and his OP-ness. In no way am I trying to bash but this is just what I see. **

**Most harems make girls into gullible, weak and hesitant damsels in distress which need their brave and cool macho to save don't forget about how all the guys besides the MC become jerks and assholes and cowards for no reason.  
**

 **What's worse is how they interact! Example:**

 **"Hey, how could I ever let the cute girl like you get hurt?" Naruto smirked, holding Erza in his arms. The blush on her cheeks matched the scarlet hair of Fairy Tail wizard.**

 **"I-I..." Erza couldn't say anything, blushing more than she ever did before. This stranger appeared out of nowhere and saved her from the Tower of Heaven. Her heart started beating faster, as Erza felt his rock-hard muscles against her skin. The blush intensified. He was definitely better than Natsu, who left her here running for his life.**

 ***sounds of throwing up***

 **See what I did there?**

 **This is what I don't want to do.**

 **Once again, I LOVE good Harem stories, where ALL characters are treated with respect.**

 **So, even I decide to make it a harem story, I am going to do my best in differentiating from what those usually are. Meaning:**

 **1) No sudden crushes.**

 **If it is a harem, then at least there should be some building up to it. And yeah, Izuku is going to be in great pphysical condition by the time the training is done, but seriously, I always found this quite shallow of reasoning for the crush. I understand physical attraction but strong crush? Just no.**

 **2) No SMUT or anything like this.**

 **They are freaking fifteen! I understand hormones but I hate when Harem stories turn girls in high school into some sex-obsessed maniacs who are desperate to get into MC's pants.**

 **3) No Twisting of Characters.**

 **Also, I hate when female characters are made into jealous "bitches". (My dear female readers, I am sorry for using this word.) It's alright if the character is this way in Canon, but hell! Some authors take girls like Hinata or Erza or Rukia and make them all vicious and evil just because they didn't get a hug from Naruto. (I mention him because he is the more common case of this whole problem.)**

 **And I am not going to make Todoroki or Bakugou or anyone else into some jerks or assholes just so that Izuku could save girls from them. God, have you ever read Naruto being all kind to Juvia while Grey abuses her? I understand that Gray is not the mushy-mushy guy but he is not an abuser and he genuinely cares about Juvia!**

 **4) No Smug or Dark Deku.**

 **I am not going to lie. Deku might become somewhat dark in the future if the plot goes this way. But I am NOT going to make him into the Edgelord Overpowered Dark!Naruto stereotype.**

 **I apologize if it looks like I am bashing on Naruto but it is one of the fandoms where these problems are so flashed out and big that it hurts! (Another one being Harry Potter).**

 **Izuku is not going to be all dark and brooding and getting girls with it.**

 **Even if it will be Harem, Izuku is still going to be that kind-hearted and caring boy he is and which we love this way.**

 **So here it is, my small rant over. Sorry if I offended anyone's tastes.**

 **As an apology, please accept this small Omake.**

* * *

Parting his ways with Midoriya, Ichigo headed to the nearest station. Having the ability to get to the city in a blink of an eye seemed very tempting, but Ichigo opted to take a train there and enjoy the ride like the other normal people did.

It might have seemed odd, but he learnt to enjoy some things he never knew he would. As Ichigo entered his cabin, passing the man in simple black T-shirt and jacket with sunglasses, his phone vibrated. He got the phone call.

"Hello?" He asked simply, slowly closing the door behind himself. He could swear that man looked like some manga artist. "Oh, Yukio, how is it going?"

"Reafrain from using such casual tone with me, Kurosaki-san. It is Voralberna-san for you." Ichigo rolled his eyes at the how similar he was to a certain white-haired captain. Plus, he was already past the age when talking like that impressed anyone. "My battery died in the middle of my important trip. Care to explain what exactly you did with my power?"

"Exactly what I told you, Yukio." Ichigo could practically see a small vein bulge when he used his first name again. Still, there was no sign of it on the other end of the line. "Training one of us. Nothing more or less."

"Right, one of us." There was a hint of sarcasm in Yukio's voice. Knowing exactly what it meant, Ichigo didn't even try to argue with him. He heard a sigh before Yukio spoke again, "Anyway, try not to empty my battery so fast and often. Or you will have to look for another training ground. And I doubt that you can find one so good as mine. Goodbye, Kurosa-"

"Wait, Yukio." Ichigo interrupted the young genius, though expecting him to hang up.

He didn't. Ichigo's voice sounded different from before, Yukio noted on the other end of the line. There was no happiness from being back to the World of the Living from before. And neither it was his usual nonchalant and slightly punk-like attitude. No, it was an odd mixture of sadness and guilt Yukio, despite being a genius, always found hard, almost impossible, to understand.

"How is she?"

Such a simple question. And yet it always brought out something in him. Something he never really cared about until this same feeling started causing him to smile a little in sadness, in a manner similar to a certain orange haired healer they both knew.

"She is fine, Ichigo." He still had to determine why he tended to change the way he addressed the man depending on the situation. "She is waiting for your visit just as usual. Try not to treat her like a porcelain doll, okay?" He caught himself showing more emotion in his voice than he wanted to. Reverting to his usual cold and uninterested self, Yukio continued. "Additionally, Urahara-san asked me to remind you about the necessity of updating your gigai upon arriving."

Ichigo chuckled, glad that everything was fine. Thanking Yukio for everything he did and receiving the expected "Don't get overfamiliar with me, Kurosaki-san", Ichigo hung up and looked outside the window. He would really miss this place once he was gone again.

The message of Urahara-san resurfaced in his mind and he averted his eyes from the landscape behind the window and on his hand. Flesh, skin and bones. At least, something really close to those. Perfect copy of what he used to be.

"Updating my gigai…" Ichigo looked at the small portion of his epidermis make the sizzling sound before disappearing into the small steam. "I better not wait till the last minute with this one."

* * *

 **Chapter 3 Preview:**

 _"K-K-Kurosaki-san, what are you doing?!"  
_

 _"Trust me, Midoriya! As long as you don't die, it's all good!"_

 _"YOU ARE SADIST!"_

* * *

 **So here is the end of the edited chapter!  
**

 **I changed the Healing scene because, as Ultimate Black Ace pointed out, it does drive Ichigo into the overpowered terrirory.**

 **So, the control over the room is a power borrowed from Yukio, as Fullbringers can share their abilities. Don't think that Yukio is giving his power for free though. He is a smart kid so, naturally, he does benefit from all of this himself.**

 **As for the barrier, it is an invention from the Shinigami Research and Development Institute that is used in case of absence of 4th Squad members around and need for medical help. The reason why Ichigo didn't use it in the first chapter is that it works on more serious injuries than the ones Izuku got then. Additionally, it works only with Shinigami Reiatsu so cannot be used by anyone but them.**

 **Once again, I would like to thank you, Ultimate Black Ace, for helping out with the improvement of the chapter.**

 **Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Joyless Triumph

**Chapter 3: The Joyless Triumph  
**

* * *

As Kurosaki-san went in another direction, Izuku sighed in the feeling of self-satisfaction and headed home, excited about the progress he has made so far.

He still could feel the rush from today's training. With a wide smile, he replayed all the moments of it in his mind, savoring each and every piece of mental picture.

The exciting sight of the world around him turning into a blur.

The feeling of wind against his face as he moved faster than he ever thought was possible.

The adrenaline pumping through his blood when he attacked and dodged.

The excitement of this empowered feeling was almost too hard to contain.

 _And this is only the first training day!_ He thought with the excited spark in his eyes. He quickly calmed down, reminding himself of how much more he needed to learn and practice.

The control over his Reiatsu and the way he was using it was still too rough and definitely needed lots of work. Not to mention, his speed and strength, which, while using the Fullbring, were much harder to properly utilize.

With his mind going through numerous ideas on how he could better manage the newfound strength, Izuku took a look at the notebook in his hand.

He would never go to school without at least one of them. Whenever he came across new information about heroes he admired, he pulled out the pen and the notebook like it was more of a reflex than anything else.

Even before he was explained everything by Kurosaki-san, Izuku always felt something special in his notebooks. But now connection with them was much stronger and felt… Deeper, he would say.

 _Fullbring is such a fascinating ability._

Being a hero fan for as long as he remembered, Izuku knew a lot of Quirks. When people started getting powers like Probability Manipulation or even Time Control, few people could imagine powers that would surprise the future generations.

But the power to use actual souls sealed inside the matter? That sounded like something straight out of manga pages or comic books.

The very idea of something like tables or pens possessing souls seemed both weird and even ridiculous. But what Kurosaki-san told him during their small walk made Izuku look at his notebooks and many other things around himself in a new light.

With his mental monologue finished, Izuku passed by a stranger and noticed something interesting. He felt the man's Reiatsu.

As more and more people walked by him, Izuku couldn't help but notice that he felt and even saw the Reiatsu of all people around him.

They all were different in colors and sometimes, albeit only slightly, amounts. Walking past some people, Izuku even managed to feel their _emotions_. It was brief sensation that faded as soon as passed by them. Still, the fact that he already could actually _do_ something like this excited him to no end.

 _I wonder what else Reiatsu can be used for…_

Kurosaki-san showed other ways to use Reiatsu if the feeling of unnatural fear and physical pressure were any indication. Izuku looked down at the limiter on his wrist, wondering if he could use at least some more of his Reiatsu with it on.

As more memories of the training filled his mind, Izuku remembered something odd about the sparring he had with Kurosaki-san.

 _That last move I used..._ Izuku mentally replayed the last minutes of the fight. The feeling of his body moving in the swift and powerful attack. The adrenaline pumping through his veins at the feeling of close victory. It all felt so amazing. And yet, nothing he could imagine he was capable of. _All the other attacks I used were rough and without form . The last one was completely different from them..._

As simple as it looked, it didn't feel like something spontaneous. It felt like something he _already_ did. Something he was _supposed_ to know.

The green haired teen looked at his palm before clenching it into a fist. Every time he thought about those last moments of the fight, this weird feeling crept inside his heart.

If Izuku had to compare, it would be similar to the feeling of leaving the cake half-baked. You mixed the ingredients. All the toppings and cremes are ready. And you are only an hour or so away from taking dessert out of the oven. Still, you stop. All those preparations are left behind and wasted.

As Izuku added this detail about the fight to the list of questions he was going to ask Kurosaki-san, he felt someone's Reiatsu right around the corner. It was weirdly familiar and sent the shivers down his spine. Concentrating on the unknown person's Reiatsu, Izuku could feel his or her emotions even without seeing them.

Anger. Annoyance. Frustration. Pride.

That sounded just like...

"Hey, Good for Nothing!"

Izuku gulped, now one hundred percent sure who was waiting for him to come. Dressed in simple black sleeveless shirt and baggy brown pants, Bakugou gave him one of the looks that screamed 'I am ready to kill you!'. Still, he just stood there, a few meters away from him. That was far too calm for the usual Bakugou. Not sure what to do, Izuku did the only thing he could and just stared at his childhood friend in the mixture of emotions.

There was something different about the situation, however.

Izuku wasn't sure why, but the sight of Kacchan glaring at him like that didn't instill as much fear as it usually did.

* * *

Orudera Junior High has always been Bakugou's playground and kingdom. Gifted with the most powerful Quirk among the bunch of nobodies, it was only natural for him to stand out and be in the lead. With his grades always being top and his authority above the others unquestioned, Bakugou never saw the need to stay low or act humble.

However, today was the first and the only day on his memory when he tried but failed to stay unnoticed.

"Yo, Bakugou, did you really see All Might face to face?"

"Man, I am so jealous! Hey, is that true that he appeared out of nowhere in his civilian clothes?"

"Did you really get offered to become a hero's sidekick? Wow, that's Bakugou for you!"

"Geez, you are in the spotlight just like always, huh, Katsuki?"

They all swarmed around him right from the beginning of the day and would return with more questions or things to say. Much to his annoyance, the students from the other classes visited him too and asked similar questions.

He would blow them to pieces, but sending so many people to the hospital would cause him way more trouble than he wanted to deal with.

Even now, when the classes finally ended for today, Bakugou was still surrounded by their classmates and some students from other classes.

The news about the invisible monster with power to rival several heroes was still fresh and, obviously, the hottest topic in the school as small and shabby as this.

Contrary to what many people thought about him, he was far from an idiot and an attention whore some fuckers took him for. The last thing that he needed was some cheap ass attention like this one.

Bakugou felt nothing but frustration at all the fuckers who bothered him while he was heading home.

Additionally, he was much better at reading people than most gave him credit for.

The fuckmunchers could act all concerned knew, they enjoyed the news to some extent. No matter how well they masked their amusement or slight jabs here and there in their shit-sweet words, he perfectly saw through them. After all, he didn't do anything so admirable and was saved from the free fall like any other fucking hostage would be. The smiles the idiots around him put on while talking were slowly but surely driving him closer and closer to the rampage.

His hand balled into a fist. One explosion against the nearby wall would be enough to scare the fuckers off.

"Hey, wasn't Midoriya-kun also there?"

Bakugou cast a quick glance at the girl who said that. Fuuko was the girl with short and somewhat spiky brown hair and a Quirk that allowed her to create medium-sized but weak as fuck mini-cyclones with her forearms. She was pretty sociable and never got into much trouble or showed off a lot.

In other words, just another small fry that would barely register on Bakugou's radar any other day. But what she said just now...

That was enough to catch his attention.

Following his gaze, the gathered turned to look at her as well. Seeing all the eyes focused on her, the girl gulped before trying to explain what she just said.

"I-I mean, in the news they showed that video..." She trailed off, not entirely sure now why she even started the talk. After all, the quality of the video was pretty low, seeing that whatever that villain did, his shriek shattered almost all the news cameras lenses. "A-And the guy on the video looked so similar to him..."

Luckily for her, it didn't take long for someone else to chime in and save her from the awkward situation she put herself in. Fuuko silently thanked Aoki-kun for drawing attention from her.

"Oh, I saw that one too!" With his lips quickly curving a grin, the kid with muscle enlargement Quirk held up his hands with a light chuckle. "But there's no way that guy was Midoriya. In that video, the guy runs or quickly teleports up somewhere, right? That was some good power, you know. So, naturally, it can't be that Quirkless Deku, right?"

The murmur ran among the gathered. People were talking about this new detail of the villain attack, some of them joking around and the others seriously speculating. Some of the kids were among the crowd during the attack as well. And they were pretty sure that it was Midoriya. This caused the discussion focus more on the green haired nerd they all never gave much thought.

All their talks and jokes eventually came to one simple question:

What if the Quirkless Midoriya actually **_has_** a Quirk?

"But this doesn't make any sense, right?"

Masao Norio frowned at this idea. He has been in the same class as Bakugou and Midoriya right from the first grade. If Midoriya had the speed enhancing Quirk or some kind of teleportation ability, wouldn't it make sense for him to just run instead of going through it? Midoriya was not an idiot. And neither he was a masochist, as far as he knew.

"I mean, why would the guy keep it all a secret?" He said, after briefly explaining his opinion. "If it were some Instant Murder type Quirk, then fine. But Speed? It's not something that dangerous to make a secret of it, right?"

Indeed, Speed Enhancement Quirks were effective but not that much of a rarity that someone might make it into a secret. And, as most people here agreed, revealing it would actually make Midoriya less of an outcast. Then why hide it?

"Or maybe he just got saved by All Might. It is quite possible." The girl with glasses and black braids suggested calmly. A few marble balls levitating near her fingertips, she continued with nonchalant expression on her face. "I watched that video as well and it is obvious that Midoriya-kun disappears half through his small run and doesn't reappear later. All Might must have spotted him running towards his imminent death and intervened."

The class continued the discussion about the case. The atmosphere changed drastically, becoming the mixture of serious and light-hearted talk between classmates. Everyone seemed to enjoy or, at least, somehow contribute to the topic. All except for one.

Bakugou himself never actually got to see what happened after that good for nothing rushed to his rescue. Moments before he fainted, he saw Deku disappear into a blur but he thought it was just some hallucination. Some trick his mind played on him before it faded away. After all, that was Deku he was talking about. He could barely run the circle around the school. Like hell he could move like that!

But all these speculations...

He couldn't help but feel the doubt about what he saw and remembered.

What if it wasn't his imagination?

What if the good for nothing actually did move that fast?

There was big possibility of the whole thing being indeed not real. But something just felt off. Something deep inside of Bakugou's mind was nagging him. It kept telling him this was nothing if not real thing.

He knew Deku. Deku was good for nothing. No Quirk. No talents. Just a delusional nerd caught up in his own dream world.

But what if it was true? If Deku actually had a Quirk, then...

Would that mean that the fucking nerd just refused to use it?

If he did, then why?

Why would someone subject himself to years of bullying and harrassment if all he needed to do was just show his Quirk? Lack of control? No, knowing Deku, the fucker would use it even it it fucking broke him! Dangerous side effects? He was fucking fine yesterday, so not this as well.

Bakugou kept going through all the reasons why Deku would not use his Quirk if he had one. But every reason he found was immediately tossed aside, which only made the blonde's blood boil more. The only option he failed to rule out was on his mind, sending the fire of wrath through his veins.

 _Did he think it was not fucking worth it...?!_

Noticing the sudden change in the mood, the rest of the people took a look at Bakugou and cautiously made a few steps back. They had no idea what got him so angry but they knew better than irritating him any further.

"Yo..."

Everyone gulped as Bakugou turned to the small crowd. The black smoke rising from his palms. The teeth gritted in barely contained wrath. His blood red eyes burning with the murderous glint.

Bakugou's voice was the low growl with the hint of maniacal rage:

 **"Where the hell is that fucking bastard right now?"**

* * *

Out of all the days possible, it was today when Izuku decided to stay for an hour or two more at school before heading to the training with Kurosaki-san. Oblivious to the approaching wrath of his childhood friend and now rival, Izuku sighed with satisfaction before closing his pitch black notebook. As he laid his eyes on the half-full bottle of water, his lips curled into a small grin.

During their walk from the training, Kurosaki-san, even though it was brief and didn't include many details, explained more about the powers of Fullbring. According to the orange haired man, by manipulating souls inside objects, any Fullbringer was able to relatively alter the properties of matter the said object consisted and then use it in numerous ways.

For example...

"Woah..." Izuku whispered in awe as the green light appeared in the water. The light was getting stronger and brighter until the water flew through the bottleneck in a thin line. For a few minutes, he just kept it floating in the air before trying to form a blob with it. Unfortunately, his concentration was broken before he could make it even shift properly and the small puddle was left on the floor. "I guess, I should practice some more with it when I get... back home..."

Suddenly, he realized something very important.

Excited by his newfound power and the opportunity to become a hero he always wanted, Izuku completely forgot to tell his mom about any of this. But, now that he thought about it, now that he knew about the Spiritual World, a new question arose.

"I wonder if I can even tell her about this..."

If he wanted to make her feel safer about letting him attend Yuuei and pursue the career as a hero, he would need to show her that he could handle himself. That went without any question.

But could he tell her the _entire_ truth? Would she be able to handle the truth behind his powers?

About his ability to see, talk and even touch the spirits of the dead?

About Hollows, who would eat anyone with powerful Reiryoku?

About him having the part of such monster inside of his soul?

The way things looked, lying seemed like the best possible choice, for both his mother's and his own sake. But there was a problem.

Izuku never was good at lying. And he never could bring himself to really justify it to himself. Even that one time when he lied about talking to himself still made him feel dirty and terrible no matter how many times he told himself that there was no other way.

And now he was faced with another time when, at least, not telling the full truth seemed like a better idea. Fighting villains was one thing. But being followed and hunted down by the vengeful and hungry monsters was something his mother would definitely be against. On the other hand, how long would he be able to keep this half-truth up?

Wouldn't it be better to tell her everything right away instead?

"This moral dilemma is giving me a headache..." He muttered.

The exit door was slammed open with a small but loud and powerful explosion. Absorbed in his own thoughts, he failed to notice the familiar Reiatsu approach the rooftop before. And now he was going to pay for this.

Moving on instinct, Izuku held his bad in the front, using it as a shield against the powerful explosion that was aimed at his head. His notebooks were scattered around the place, and in amidst the smoke stood none other than Kacchan.

"Oh, I am about to give you something much worse, Deku...!"

Izuku took one step back, feeling the rage his childhood friend was emanating. He didn't even need to check his Reiatsu to know the intention of Kacchan. He thought about using Fullbring to run past the ash blonde and down the stairs to the classroom, but something held him back.

This feeling... was something new to Izuku and not necessarily unlikeable.

Something deep inside him told him- _demanded_ even- that he stood his ground right here and right now. Izuku gulped down, agreeing with the voice. If he ran away now, nothing would change. He could make a difference. And now was his only chance.

"Not gonna run?"

Izuku stared into those blood red eyes, which always made him feel much smaller and weaker than their owner. The look that screamed of superior power. But now... Now everything was about to change.

"I-I..." He gulped, suppressing his fear. This feeling in his chest grew stronger, filling the green haired teen with the confidence he never knew he had. It was so similar to the situation yesterday. The threats and the glare Kacchan was giving him seemed less intimidating than he remembered. The feeling of danger he felt during the training with Kurosaki-san was far worse than this.

"I am not going to run, Kacchan... Not now! And not ever again!"

He said that firmly, leaving no place for argument. Izuku steeled himself, ready to take whatever Kacchan was about to throw at him.

Bakugou's eyes narrowed in rage at defiance of someone as weak and pathetic as Deku. But his frown quickly turned into the expression of mockery and sadistic , he was looking forward to putting the shit-eater back to his fucking place.

"So you are talking back to me now, huh?"

This never happened before. And there was no way Bakugou was letting it happen again. Whether he had a Quirk or not, Bakugou was going to crush the nerd's spirit right here and right now!

"Got any last words, you nerdy fuck?" The memories from the past flashed through his mind, adding to his already murderous mood. There he stood... The only person to ever look down on him. The only fucking person to ever think he needed help! "What happened, good for nothing? Too scared to say anything?'

"I am not scared of you..." Izuku said with his voice growing more confident. He was going to change! He won't be the same person he was before. And now it was the time to prove it to Kacchan and himself! "I will never be scared of you. Not anymore!" He took a step back, taking the fighting pose. "So do your worst!"

Bakugou didn't wait another second to strike. With almost the feral roar, he launched himself forward with his fist emitting smoke in preparation to blow the fucking nerd up. The explosion broke out upon the contact with the target and Bakugou grinned in satisfaction, not caring how much he hurt his former childhood friend. As the smoke cleared, Bakugou found to his own surprise, the nerd gone and the giant scorch mark on the previously clean wall. "Where the fuck did you go, Deku?"

"I am right here." Bakugou looked back and saw Deku standing near the edge of the roof. Completely safe and unscathed. How the hell did he do it?! Shaking off the confusion, Bakugou quickly refocused on the mission at hand.

Izuku's feelings were the weird cocktail of emotions. Excitement and Fear. Concern and Adrenaline Rush. All these years, he has been the target of Kacchan's mockery and bullying for simply following his dreams. He himself knew how unrealistic they were, but that didn't give the ash blond any right to treat him like shit. And Izuku had no intention of letting it stay that way.

Bakugou used his explosions to boost the speed and appear right in front of Deku. The latter was caught off guard and Bakugou capitalized on that, grabbing him by his wrist and throwing him up. With both of his palms against the classmate's back, Bakugou was ready to unleash the full power of his explosions on Deku when, right in front of his eyes, he disappeared into a blur.

"The fuck...?!"

Still confused and shocked by what he had just witnessed, Bakugou didn't notice Izuku reappear behind him, seemingly out of thin air, with his fist drawn back and ready to strike. Turning around, Bakugou had time barely enough to stare in shock at the incoming punch.

The fist slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Shocked and bewildered by the sheer strength of the impact, Bakugou could only helplessly fly back and right into the wall. Upon the impact, cracks spread across the wall and Bakugou groaned in pain. And while the feeling was anything but pleasant, his pride was hurt far worse than his back.

Deku.

A simple good for nothing who didn't even have a Quirk.

Someone who wasn't even worth his attention or concern.

The guy whose faith was stand on the sidelines and watch while he rose to the Top Hero spot...

And this guy...

... landed a hit on him?

That was impossible!

Deku he knew couldn't even look him in the eyes, let alone throw a punch!

His entire world shaking and breaking apart, Bakugou could only grit his teeth tighter and let the anger surge through his system even wilder. He was going to reduce the little shit to the sobbing mess! Mrality and mercy be damned, all he wanted and focused on was to remind Deku his real place.

"So, you do have a Quirk after all, huh?!" His blood was boiling and his eyes were burning with fire stronger than the Hell's flames. The fucking nerd... All these years, he thought Deku was just Quirkless. All this time he was... He was... He... "You were fucking playing me all this time, you bastard!"

He jumped up and at the green haired teen. When the latter drew his fist back ready to counterattack, Bakugou's natural instincts kicked in. He used the small explosion to change his trajectory and landed on the floor behind him. The ash blond grabbed his wrist, preventing the nerd from escaping his attack.

Kacchan was ready to unleash the series of powerful explosions on him, Izuku thought, the time around him slowing down. The blond's grip was tight and Izuku wouldn't break away in time. What were the options?

Use his free hand or leg to distract Kacchan enough to break away?

No, he wouldn't do it in time. And the Explosion user was not someone to get distracted by simple pain. Now that he knew his strength, simple punches and kicks wouldn't catch him off guard. Knowing Kacchan, he would be ready to take the damage knowing that his attacks hurt times more.

Maybe he could use fullbring on the floor and try to shake him off while in the air?

... But what would prevent Kacchan from using the height to his advantage? Even right now, Izuku could come up with at least three ways the Explosion could benefit Kacchan if they were in the air battle.

 _Think! Think! Think!_ Izuku told himself, watching the attack getting closer and closer. Then, suddenly, an idea came to his mind. It was a big risk, and whether he blocked the attack or broke his arm depended on it.

Izuku used whatever limited knowledge he had about the Reiatsu control to process the idea he had. Kurosaki-san showed that Reiatsu could be used for both psychological and offensive purposes. But was it possible to use it as a shield? Or, at least, use it to counter the attack with enough power to suppress it?

If he tried to concentrate his Reiatsu around Kacchan's hand, would it be enough to stop the attack? _I hope this works!_ Izuku thought, putting his plan into motion.

 _What the fuck does he think he's doing?!_ Bakugou thought, watching the nerd reach with his other hand for his fist. Did Deku completely lose it? He would have his entire hand turned into dust? Oh, whatever! _The bastard will have only himself to blame!_

"DIE!"

 _Now!_

Bakugou's eyes widened at what was happening. Deku was supposed to be swallowed by his explosion!He should be screaming in pain from the blast! But he wasn't! He was standing right where he was, not even a scratch on him. With a stunned expression, he whispered, "... the hell...?"

Bakugou didn't even need to look at his hand to know that his explosions fucking went off. He felt it. He felt every single fucking one of them! But something stood in their way…

He looked at Deku's hand and his confusion only grew bigger. It looked like the explosions, which were still going off, were being blown back by some invisible force.

Soon, his explosions stopped and Bakugou groaned in pain. He felt like his entire arm was being crashed!

Using the distraction, Izuku broke away and created distance between Kacchan and himself. He panted heavily, the stunt he pulled taking its toll on him. It was one thing when he needed to suppress or spread his Reiatsu, but giving it form and maintaining it for even such a brief period of time was times more exhausting. _At least, I managed to avoid any major damage..._

He looked at Kacchan's arm and felt the pang of guilt. It was bruised in many places and even had some bleeding wounds. Not deep or big enough to threaten his life but, surely, much more than what Izuku wanted to see. Did he accidentally use Reiatsu to crush his arm like that?

He wanted to show Kacchan that he wasn't a powerless pushover anymore but...

But this was going way too far.

"K-Kacchan... A-Are you alright?" Receiving a glare in return, Izuku gulped down and held out his hand as the gesture of good will. He didn't want to hurt him any further. "Let's stop this... Please."

 _Are you okay? Can you stand up?_ As this particular episode from the past resurfaced in his memory, Bakugou grit his teeth and glared at the green haired nerd with twice the hatred and rage.

"You little..."

 _Why...?_

"How many times do I have to tell you..."

 _Why do you keep looking at me like that...?_

"I don't need your pity... I don't need your help!"

 _Deku... You..._

"Don't you dare look down on me, you piece of shit!" He roared, launching himself at Deku.

This time, however, Bakugou was not going to leave any opportunity for him to escape. Tackling Deku to the ground, he drew his fist back and slammed it into the teen's face. He wasn't going to use his Quirk for this though. He was going to show that his own strength was enough to deal with him.

"You think you are better than me, Deku?"

His fist slammed right into Deku's face, making his nose swell up and bleed.

"Is that why you were hiding your Quirk all this time?!"

Another powerful punch.

"Just who do you think you are, you bas-!"

Bakugou's eyes widened when he received an equally powerful but lightning fast punch to his own face. Several drops of his own blood fell on the ground, splattering. He looked up to see Deku, not even a hint of fear in his eyes anymore.

"Please, Kacchan, let's stop this." Izuku said, hoping his words would get through the thick skull of the ash blond. "I don't want to hurt you."

The ash blond gritted his teeth in annoyance.

" ** _You_** don't want to hurt **_me_**?"Deku was worrying about him? **_Deku_** didn't want to hurt him?! He saw red and growled out in feral rage, "You fucking can't!"

Bakugou held out both of his palms, fully intending to send Izuku into an early grave.

Izuku knew that, with how uncontrollable the upcoming attack would be, merely ducking or dodging wouldn't be enough. Not to mention that the destruction of such magnitude would draw the unwanted attention here. He didn't have enough Reiatsu to block the attack either.

Spotting the nearby lying Notebook No.7, Izuku rushed to it and activated his Fullbring. During the training with Kurosaki-san, it seemed to have given him the boost in Reiatsu and he was going to use it even if it drained him of it completely.

However, he didn't feel any increase in Reiatsu.

 _Something's wrong..._ Izuku thought, the notebook burning with emerald green fire but not doing anything else. Before Izuku could even form any idea about what was going on, he heard the wrathful warcry of his childhood friend:

"Die, Deku!" And here came the attack, that was sure to land him in the hospital, in the best case possible.

"No!" With barely any Reiatsu left and exhaustion finally getting to him, Izuku could only hold his hands in the front, fully aware that this would do little to help him. The glow of the notebook intensified, the brighter and stronger light drawing Izuku's attention. "W-What the-?"

Suddenly, the notebook snapped open, the pages flying out of it as if they were picked up by the hurricane wind. Each one of them glowing light green, the pages flew past the shocked green haired teen and formed the thin white wall right in the middle of Izuku and the attack incoming. To his and Bakugou's surprise, the wall of paper withstood the blast and didn't look even slightly scorched.

Izuku reached his hand out, trying to feel his Reiatsu inside the floating pages. Instead of flying back to him, however, the wall fell apart and the small wave of paper lists rushed towards Bakugou like the giant missile.

It was neither the strength nor the speed with which the attack came. What really made it the finishing blow was how intense the attack was.

 _W-What is happening...?!_

The wave of notebook pages pushed him back like a tank and, once his back hit the wall, it kept pressing and moving as if it was trying to squash him like a bug.

 _I-Is this really... Deku...?_

His entire world picture shattered into pieces, Bakugou could only grit his teeth and wait till the end of it. As he felt the attack grow weaker and smaller, Bakugou found himself with no strength left to even lift his head.

 _T-The glow... It's weakening..._ Izuku whispered, watching the light around the pages growing weaker and smaller. And with the light weakening, so did the final attack he, accidentally, used. Slowly, the cloud of pages fell apart and, as swift as bullets, returned to his notebook. Izuku took a careful look at Kacchan, wondering if he was going to attack again. Then he noticed the cracks on the wall behind him. It looked as if the page cloud was trying to drill the hole in it with Kacchan. _I hope he is alright..._

Hearing the groan come from Kacchan, Izuku sighed in relief. Still, he needed to get him to the nurse's office, just to be safe. He reached out for the ash blond, but his hand was roughly smacked away. Confused, Izuku looked at Kacchan, waiting for what he wanted to say.

He expected anything, ranging from curses to insults to profanity and etc. But what he didn't expect was to hear Kacchan say...

"... leave me alone..." His voice was quiet and almost hollow. There was no pride. No rage. Not even bitterness. Just emptiness. "Just... Just go away, Izuku."

It must have been the first time Kacchan referred to him by his actual name.

When he didn't call him that derogative nickname "Deku"...

Then why...

Why didn't he feel anything but sadness from it?

Right now, he finally did what he always thought he wanted. To prove that he wasn't worthless good for nothing. He imagined this moment for so long. He made up numerous scenarios, in which he would finally be acknowledged by the friend he always admired. Where he finally could stand alongside him! The moment when he would feel proud of himself!

Then why...

 _Am I feeling nothing but shame?_

"I-I... Kacchan, I-"

He wanted to fix this.

He had to.

But Bakugou only gritted his teeth even more and roared out, his voice shaking and tears gathering in his eyes:

"Leave me fucking alove!"

With no place for the argument, Izukiu quickly picked up his notebooks and rushed to the exit door. As he opened the door, he was met with a small group of their classmates, the looks of shock on their faces indicating that they saw everything. All of them tried to break the awkward silence, but Izuku ignored these attempts and hurried to leave the building.

Izuku wanted to change everything.

He wanted to change himself and the way people saw him.

And he did.

 _But was it really worth it?_

* * *

 **And here's my wrap up for this chapter!**

 **Sorry it is short, but I really felt like it was best to stop here, guys.**

 **Now, allow me address a few issues.**

* * *

 **As you know, in most fics where the MC (Izuku, in this case) is trained by some badass character (Ichigo), the scene always plays out the same way:  
**

 **The bully appears, acting like an asshole for no reason whatsoever. The crowd gathers and watches the two. The MC beats the shit out of and publicly humiliates the bully. Then he is seen as cool and badass, etc.**

 ** _However_ , I am not a big fan of this trope. Such scenes, with rare exceptions, are often used only as the way of showing how pretentiously badass the character is and contributes little to the actual story. Additionally, in most cases, it seriously undermines the entire character as the actions and attitude change too suddenly. (You know, like reading about how the MC is shy and doesn't want to hurt anyone in one sentence and then reading about him/her beating up his bully savagely.)  
**

 **That's why, in my story, I wanted the Retribution Scene to have some importance compared to just elevating the Badass Facade.**

 **Just like any teenager bullied or mocked, Izuku wanted to put an end to this. Now that he has the power to be a hero, he doesn't want to have to endure all the mockery of his dreams.**

 **Additionally, I didn't want Izuku to be all victorious and refreshed at beating up Bakugou. Taking most Abused Naruto stories for example, the most stereotypical thing to do would be having Izuku stand above the beaten Bakugou and say something along the lines** _"Stop messing with me, you bastard"_ **or something like that, but I didn't want it to be so.**

 **At the beginning of the fight, he was ready to use his powers because he wanted to show Bakugou he was no longer "Deku" that was good for nothing but studying. But the moment he saw the blood and bruises caused by his powers, his resolve was shaken.**

 **After all, proving your worth is one thing but seriously hurting someone in the process is another, right?**

 **Also, why did I put the classmates there?**

 **If that's your question, then the answer is that I want to explore a bit more of Orudera Junior High setting. I am not going to cover the entire year before Yuuei Exam, but I will certainly write a bit more about Izuku's and Bakugou's classmates and how they act.**

 **As you might guess, now that Izuku has basically beaten the Pack Leader of their class, things are going to change. However, don't expect everything to be sunshine and butterflies.**

 **Next issue is the power.**

 **I know that using Reiatsu as a shield might seem a bit OP, butI based it on the ability to use Reiatsu for offensive use like some characters showed in anime/manga. Just to point out flaws, what he did was simply releasing as much Reiatsu as he could at the moment, meaning that he seriously depleted his resources by the end of the fight.  
**

 **The last feat (Page Shield and Cloud) Izuku performed also might seem as a warning sign of being OP, but I hope you didn't see it as such. Izuku's powers are still developing and pretty much unknown even to Izuku himself.**

* * *

 **So that's it for the chapter.  
**

 **Any and all feedback is welcome.**

 **Leave your reviews and tell me what you thought about it.**


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